Kemi Badenoch says Conservatives are reeling after Widdecombe murder probe

Devon and Cornwall Police are treating the death of Ann Widdecombe as murder after officers were called to her home in Haytor, on Dartmoor in Devon, at about 11.40am on Thursday, July 9, 2026. The former Conservative minister was found dead at the property at the age of 78, and a 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said the inquiry was at an early stage but moving at a significant pace. He said there was no information at this point to suggest a political motive, and police also said the case was not being treated as a terrorist incident. That has left investigators focused on the circumstances of Widdecombe’s death rather than any wider claim about public life or politics.

Widdecombe had been one of the more recognisable Conservative figures of her generation. She served as the Conservative MP for Maidstone and The Weald from May 1, 1997 to May 6, 2010, after previously representing Maidstone from June 11, 1987 to May 1, 1997. She left the House of Commons in 2010 and later became a spokeswoman for Reform UK, keeping a public profile long after her parliamentary career ended.

The reaction from senior politicians reflected both that long service and Widdecombe’s combative reputation. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the party was “reeling” and described Widdecombe as “a very fun and feisty woman who spoke her mind.” Badenoch added: “My heart is breaking for her family.” Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called Widdecombe a “distinguished politician” and said her death was a “significant loss.”

Her public reach extended well beyond Westminster. Anton du Beke, who was paired with Widdecombe on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, posted an emotional tribute after her death. Widdecombe later reached a wider television audience again when she appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018 and finished second, underlining how familiar she remained to viewers years after leaving Parliament.

Cloud9 Management said it was “absolutely devastated” by the news, asked that Widdecombe’s family not be contacted, and backed the police investigation. With a murder inquiry underway and no indication yet of a political motive, the case has brought together the stark reality of a criminal investigation and the loss of a political figure who stayed in the public eye for nearly two decades after she left the Commons.