British police release suspect in Ann Widdecombe murder investigation

News
World

Author: AFP,
Publish Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2026, 8:22am

Ann Widdecombe was found dead this week, about 24 hours after she was believed to have been murdered. Photo / Getty Images

British police have released a man detained over the suspected murder of veteran right-wing politician Ann Widdecombe.

The 78-year-old former Conservative minister was found dead with “serious injuries” this week at her home in Devon, southwest England, according to police.

“A 26-year-old man who was arrested on Friday 10 July [local time] on suspicion of murder has since been released from custody and is no longer part of the investigation,” they said in a statement the following day.

Devon and Cornwall Police Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said officers thought Widdecombe was attacked 24 hours before her body was found.

“We believe the attack took place on Wednesday 8 July at around 12.30pm,” he said in the statement, adding that police were still looking for a white male suspect.

Longman had said on Friday he “had no information to say it was a politically motivated crime” and her death was not being treated as terror-related.

“Detectives continue to carry out numerous inquiries as part of the ongoing investigation and we remain committed to establishing the full circumstances surrounding the incident,” he said.

Widdecombe, a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010, was known for her Christian faith and outspoken views.

In 1995 as prisons minister she was embroiled in a row after defending a policy of chaining pregnant prisoners to prevent them from escaping.

A staunch supporter of Brexit, Widdecombe left the Conservatives in 2019 to join the hard-right party of anti-immigration leader Nigel Farage.

Farage on Friday called her death a “terrible reflection on modern Britain”, in a video on social media.

“I do fear that for anybody in public life, or especially the political space, things have become even more dangerous today.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said news of the murder inquiry was ”shocking” and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the circumstances “extremely distressing”.

- AFP