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Counter-terrorism police in the U.K. have announced they are taking over the investigation into the murder of Ann Widdecombe, a British politician and Catholic convert killed last week.
Police initially downplayed suggestions the murder of the prominent 78-year-old pro-life Catholic figure had political or terror motives.
Last Friday it was announced that Widdecombe, 78, had died and later that day the Devon and Cornwall police said that they had opened a murder investigation. She was found dead on Thursday morning having sustained serious injuries.
On Saturday, a 28-year-old man described as “white British” from Rotherham, south Yorkshire, was arrested on suspicion of murder. That same man has been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, and he continues to be questioned by police investigators.
Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) announced that new information had “come to light during what has been a dynamic and complex investigation.”
“Building on the progress made by our colleagues in Devon and Cornwall police, we now have new information and evidence that means counter-terrorism policing is now leading the investigation,” said Laurence Taylor, head of national counter-terrorism policing.
“We are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry to establish the motivation for this attack. Our priority is progressing this investigation quickly, with all the capabilities we have available to us. If anyone has any information, please share it with the police,” he added.
On Monday, the British home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, confirmed that the suspect was not known to Prevent, the UK’s anti-terror scheme.
“Following new information and evidence, they are now leading on the investigation into the horrific murder of Ann Widdecombe,” she said.
“The police are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry to establish the motivation for this attack… My thoughts today remain with Ann’s family and friends, and all those who loved her,” she added.
Police believe that Widdecombe was killed around 12.30pm last Wednesday, nearly 24 hours before she was found in her home Thursday.
The Sun obtained CCTV footage of the suspect leaving Rotherham at approximately 8am on the day of Widdecombe’s death with what appears to be a wooden stick in his pocket. He is suspected of having driven 267 miles to Widdecombe’s home in Dartmoor, Devon.
The case has provoked much debate about the safety of MPs, and Mahmood said she offered to arrange a meeting between Nigel Farage – the leader of populist right-wing group Reform UK of which Widdecombe was a spokesperson – and the head of the independent Home Office body that manages the security of those in public life.
Widdecombe is the third politician to be killed in the UK in recent years, following the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016 and Conservative MP David Amess, also a Catholic, in 2021.
Widdecombe’s life
Widdecombe spent 23 years as a Member of Parliament for Maidstone in Kent for the Conservatives, from 1987 to 2010. After leaving parliament, she appeared on TV shows Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.
A staunch supporter of the UK’s exit from the European Union, she later caused a stir by leaving the Conservatives and joining the then-Brexit Party as a Member of European Parliament (MEP), which later became Reform UK.
She subsequently became Reform UK’s spokesperson for immigration and justice.
Widdecombe was received into the Catholic Church in 1993, following the Anglican Church’s decision to ordain women. Her brother, Canon Malcolm Widdecombe (1937-2010), remained a lifelong Anglican and was the vicar of St. Philip and St. Jacob in Bristol.
Widdecombe was an outspoken advocate for Church teaching and was publicly pro-life. Speaking to EWTN’s Colm Flynn last September, she explained what it was that drew her to the Church.
“The great thing about Catholicism is it doesn’t compromise – something is either true or it’s false. It’s right or it’s wrong. It’s a sin or it’s not. There’s none of this endless fudging that you get with the Anglican Church,” she said.
“If you believe something, say it. I mean, what is the point of believing it if you won’t say it,” she added, in explanation for her forthrightness.
