Ann Widdecombe murder latest: Counter-terror police lead investigation on ex-Tory minister’s death after arrest

Ann Widdecombe murder latest: Counter-terror police lead investigation on ex-Tory minister’s death after arrest Suspect was not known to the Prevent anti-extremism programme, the home secretary told MPs - Bookmark The murder of veteran politician Ann Widdecombe is being treated as an act of terrorism, police have said. A 28-year-old man, who was arrested in Rotherham on Saturday, has since been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. Speaking to the Commons on Monday, home secretary Shabana Mahmood said he was not known to counter-terrorism programme Prevent, which supports people who are at risk of becoming involved with terrorism. She also said that guidance would now be offered by police to MPs following Miss Widdecombe’s death. Counter-terrorism police have claimed that “new information and evidence” had come to light, which meant they were now leading the investigation, after working alongside Devon and Cornwall Police after Ms Widdecombe was found dead with “serious injuries” in her Haytor residence at 11.40am on Thursday. Head of national counter-terrorism policing, Laurence Taylor, said: “We are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry 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.” MPs say they are 'looking over their shoulders' after Ann Widdecombe's death MPs have spoken about their own safety concerns after the killing of Ann Widdecombe, as one Conservative MP warned parliamentarians were more likely to be killed than members of the army or police. Responding to a statement in the House of Commons about the former Conservative minister’s killing last week, Tory MP Sir Bernard Jenkin (Harwich and North Essex) recalled the statistic as he added: “None of us want our homes to be turned into fortresses but maybe more people need to be encouraged to put, for example, security gates on the fronts of their houses and to have security cameras watching and recording what is going on, rather than relying on the Ring doorbell.” Labour MP for Monmouthshire Catherine Fookes said: “I’m sure I was not the only one this weekend who went about my business in the constituency looking over my shoulder more than I normally would, and it’s terrible that it’s the third ex-member of this Parliament to be murdered. But it shouldn’t be like this.” Ms Fookes added: “It does seem that security fobs, and security in our houses is not really enough.” Conservative MP Sir Julian Lewis (New Forest East) told MPs he had previously worked with colleagues on greater privacy rules for MPs’ home addresses. Labour MP Helena Dollimore (Hastings and Rye) said she was concerned about pictures of MPs’ homes being broadcast by media organisations. Sir Julian said: “Whatever else you do, keep your home addresses as private as you possibly can.” Responding to Ms Fookes, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “There are a number of measures that are taken and that for local policing as well as working with the Parliamentary Security Department there is an offer for all members of Parliament and specific risk assessments.” PM in waiting Andy Burnham pays tribute to Ann Widdecombe Prime minister in waiting Andy Burnham has paid tribute to former Tory and Reform heavyweight Ann Widdecombe, saying his and the PLP’s thoughts go out to her friends and family and all who loved her. He said that “this is a moment to come together, think of her family and ensure the police have the resources and space they need to ensure justice is brought following this appalling act of violence.” It comes as Mr Burnham addressed MPs during a one-candidate leadership hustings to MPs over Zoom on Monday. The hustings took place as Mr Burnham was confirmed at the next prime minister after receiving an extra 27 nominations from Labour MPs on Monday, taking his total to 349. Jeremy Vine moved to tears on live show after death of Ann Widdecombe as he reveals politician’s final texts Jeremy Vine was moved to tears live on air during a discussion about Ann Widdecombe’s murder investigation. On Monday (13 July), the Channel 5 presenter became emotional after guest Iain Dale recalled how positively Ms Widdecombe spoke of Mr Vine and his team. “Well, that is too much to hear today. Thank you so much, Iain,” he said as he choked back tears. Mr Vine went on to explain that Ms Widdecombe was scheduled to make an appearance on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show on Wednesday (8 July) but stopped returning messages, which he read out live on air. You can watch the moving moment below: What happened to Ann Widdecombe? What happened to Ann Widdecombe? Ann Widdecombe’s final messages sent minutes before death revealed Ann Widdecombe stopped responding to text messages just moments before police believe she was attacked, newly released exchanges reveal. Police said on Saturday that they believe Ms Widdecombe was likely attacked on Wednesday at around 12.30pm, nearly 24 hours before she was found dead at her Dartmoor home. The former Tory minister had been preparing to appear remotely as a guest on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show when she suddenly stopped responding to a producer, according to ITV News. WhatsApp exchanges seen by the broadcaster show the last message from Ms Widdecombe came at 12.19pm, reading: “Received! Panic over!!” You can read more below: Ann Widdecombe’s final messages sent minutes before death revealed Nigel Farage accused of ‘exploiting’ Ann Widdecombe’s death as ‘political propaganda’ Nigel Farage has been accused of using the death of Ann Widdecombe as “political propaganda” after he said he believed the death of the former minister was “premeditated murder”. A 28-year-old white British man was arrested on suspicion of murder in Rotherham, 260 miles away, on Saturday evening. Earlier on Saturday, Mr Farage paid tribute to Ms Widdecombe, telling reporters he did not believe her death was “a burglary that went wrong” and said a car had appeared on her drive at around 12.25pm on Wednesday. Former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor, who was a close friend of Ms Widdecombe, told The Times: “Ann Widdecombe was far too dear to her family, friends and former colleagues for her murder to be exploited as political propaganda. “The police have expressly asked the public not to speculate about the motive. It is therefore deeply disappointing that Nigel Farage has chosen to do precisely that.” On Monday, counter-terrorism police claimed that “new information and evidence” had come to light, which meant they were now leading the investigation. Farage accused of ‘exploiting’ Ann Widdecombe’s death as ‘political propaganda’ Watch: Sir Lindsay Hoyle pays tribute to Ann Widdecombe Reform board member says police have attempted to 'massage public opinion' during investigation Reform UK board member Gawain Towler told reporters the police had attempted to “massage public opinion” by previously saying there was “nothing to suggest” the suspected murder of Ann Widdecombe was politically motivated. Visiting Haytor Vale in Devon to pay tribute to Ms Widdecombe on Monday, Mr Towler said: “In the past, they’d have said all avenues of investigation are open but this time they tried to close out avenues of the investigation, and it appears they’ve reopened them. “In a time when trust in the police is at an all time low, this just plays into that they are trying to massage public opinion rather than do the job of investigating a brutal murder. We saw it with Henry Nowak, we saw it with Southport. “By appearing to rule something out and then a few days later bringing it back in, they look manipulative and that’s a shame. “What they should have said is all avenues of investigation are open. Not rule anything in, not rule anything out. That is what they always used to do. “So why did they try and close some line of thinking out? Because they wanted to massage public opinion. “And I’m sorry, but that when there’s so little faith in their activities these days, they now look, even if they haven’t been, they now look as if they’re trying to manipulate the public’s view and that’s an appalling place for the police to be. “And it’s such a shame; my grandfather was a copper, I believed wholeheartedly that the police were a good thing as I grew up. Now I don’t trust them an inch and that’s a shame.” Nigel Farage says he will meet with RAVEC chair to discuss security of Reform politicians Nigel Farage has said he will meet with the chair of RAVEC, the independent body within the Home Office that manages the security of those in public life, following an offer made by Shabana Mahmood. In a post on X he wrote: “Thank you for this offer @ShabanaMahmood. I will meet with the Chair of RAVEC and discuss the security of all Reform politicians, including those who are not MPs.” Lindsay Hoyle responds to Yusuf claims over security Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said MPs’ security concerns are treated equally and are “passed on to the security people to deal with”. He told MPs: “Every member of Parliament is equal in their security to me – there is no difference between any member, I want to reassure you. “When things are brought to my attention – because we don’t discuss security, I don’t put out there what is happening, what has been done – but I reassure everybody that when it is mentioned to me, it is passed on to the security people to deal with. “Unfortunately, I’m sorry that people don’t think I do that.” Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, on Sunday claimed in a post on X that Sir Lindsay, the Government and the police did not “care at all about the security of Reform MPs”. Dame Karen Bradley, the Conservative MP for Staffordshire Moorlands who chairs the Commons Home Affairs Committee, said she wanted to “thank Staffordshire Police” for contacting her over the weekend and visiting her home to review her security. “I know police forces across the country will be doing that and I’m very grateful to them for taking that time,” Dame Karen added.