A 28-year-old man was arrested Saturday evening in South Yorkshire, England, “on suspicion of the murder of” former UK lawmaker Ann Widdecombe, according to a press release by British police.
“The suspect, who is a white British national, is now in police custody,” said the statement from Devon and Cornwall Police. “Miss Widdecombe’s family have been informed of this development.”
“We were supported by Counter Terrorism Policing North East and South Yorkshire Police who carried out the arrest on behalf of Devon & Cornwall Police,” the statement continued. “At this time, there is still no information to suggest that this is a terrorism related incident and as a force we retain primacy of the investigation.”
The former lawmaker was found dead at her home in Haytor, Devon, on Thursday. Police say they believe Widdecombe died the day before her body was discovered.
She had “sustained serious injuries,” Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said in an earlier statement.
Saturday’s arrest is the second in the investigation into Widdecombe’s death. On Friday police briefly arrested, then released a 26-year-old from custody. That man “is no longer part of the investigation,” police said.
Widdecombe, 78, was a former Conservative Member of Parliament, government minister and fixture on British television. In 2019, she was elected to European Parliament as a member of right-wing lawmaker Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party. After the UK formally withdrew from the EU, she served as the immigration spokesperson for the Brexit Party’s successor organization Reform UK .
Farage released a statement on Instagram mourning Widdecombe on Friday, saying that she “gave her life to public service.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
