Police have launched a murder inquiry intoย Ann Widdecombe‘s death after she was found covered in blood from a head wound.
The former Conservative minister was found dead at her home in Dartmoor aged 78, her agent announced this morning.
She was found covered in blood after suffering a serious head wound, it is understood.
Officers went to her home and spoke to a carer who worked for her and is believed to have found her body.ย Police are trying to establish whether she may have died following a fall or if she was the victim of an attacker.
Friends of the former Conservative minister turnedย Strictlyย Come Dancing star say they have been told by officers to brace for ‘bad news’, and a press conference will be held later this afternoon.
The redoubtable politician was a permanent fixture in British public life thanks to her long political career as a no-nonsense, tough-talking figure on the Right.
Ms Widdecombe, a Catholic convert, was best known for her robust views on moral issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage and had a zero-tolerance approach to drugs.
She backed Brexit and ferociously argued that ‘there is no need for Britain to suffer’ net zero policies and claimed the science ofย climate changeย is ‘robustly disputed’.
In 2023, she joined Reform UK and became a vocal supporter ofย Nigel Farage, appearing on TVย to back the party leader ahead of the Clacton by-election just two days ago.
Ann Widdecombe appearing on Talk TV on Wednesday. Her death was announced this morning
Ms Widdecombe pictured in the garden of her house on Dartmoor on May 24, 2013
A picture of the front of the house, where she is believed to have suffered a serious head wound
While Ms Widdecombe was a formidable figure within politics, she became known to a much wider audience thanks to her appearances as a contestant on Strictly and Celebrity Big Brother.
Her agents, Cloud 9 Management, said in a statement this morning: ‘It is with great sadness that today we announce the death of Theย Right Honourable Ann Widdecombe DSG.
‘We send our deepest condolences to Ann’s family and friends.’
Mr Farage was among those paying tribute to Msย Widdecombe today, calling her an ‘absolute force of nature’.
The Reform UK leader told TalkTV: ‘She never let anyoneโฆ with any doubt in their minds at all where she stood on all the great issues of the day, and she was formidable too.
‘I mean, I can tell you, the times when I used to get a phone call from Ann, abrupt Ann on the phone, saying she disagreed with what I’d done or what I’dย said.
‘And you know, she’d come to London and we’d sit down over a coffee and talk things through. But that was the thing about Ann: that all the disagreements she had with us over policy and direction and all the normal debate, that was always kept behind closed doors.
‘You know, in public, she was the most incredibly loyal ally.’
Ms Widdecombe during an appearance on Strictly Come Dancing. She was partnered withย Anton Du Beke
He added that Miss Widdecombe moving to the Brexit Party was a ‘very significant’ moment in ‘our political history’, adding: ‘She made us look serious. She made us look real.’
Kemi Badenoch called her a ‘formidable politician’.
The Toryย leader said in a post on social media: ‘My deepest condolences and those of the Conservative Party to the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe.
‘She was a formidable politician who was never afraid to speak her mind and fought hard for what she believed. Always true to herself, her politics were strongly guided by her faith and her values. Rest in Peace, Ann.’
