'Nothing to suggest' Ann Widdecombe murder politically motivated, say police - after man arrested in Rotherham

Police are remaining "open-minded" about the motive behind the suspected murder of Ann Widdecombe after the arrest of a man in Yorkshire.

A 28-year-old white British male is in custody after being arrested on Saturday.

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman provided additional details on the investigation at a press briefing on Sunday (12 July) morning, telling media the arrest took place in Rotherham.

There is still "nothing to suggest" it is a terrorism related or politically motivated crime, he added. "And at this point, we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this murder."

ACC Longman also said more than 120 tips from the public have been received since a police appeal for information.

Ms Widdecombe was found dead at her home in Haytor, on the edge of Dartmoor, at around 11.40am on Thursday.

Police believe the former Conservative minister was attacked at around 12.30pm on Wednesday - nearly 24 hours before her body was discovered with "serious injuries".

Devon and Cornwall Police said: "We can confirm that a 28-year-old man was arrested at an address in the South Yorkshire area this evening (July 11) on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe.

"The suspect, who is a white British national, is now in police custody."

The force said that it was supported by Counter Terrorism Policing North East, while South Yorkshire Police carried out the arrest, but added there is "still no information to suggest that this is a terrorism-related incident".

A 26-year-old man initially arrested by the force on suspicion of the murder of Ms Widdecombe was released from custody on Saturday, with police stating that he was no longer part of their investigation.

Ms Widdecombe served as a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010.

She then returned to frontline politics as a prominent voice in the Vote Leave campaign ahead of the 2016 EU referendum, before joining the Brexit Party in 2019, serving as a Member of the European Parliament.

Ms Widdecombe joined Reform UK in 2023, and became the party's immigration and justice spokesperson.

Reform MPs given extra security

Nigel Farage visited Devon to lay a wreath for Ms Widdecombe on Saturday as it was confirmed Reform MPs have been given 24-hour security, paid for by the party, for fear of similar attacks.

Mr Farage said in a tribute on Friday that Ms Widdecombe's death was "a terrible reflection on modern Britain".

"And I do fear that for anybody in public life, or especially the political space, things have become even more dangerous to them," he added.

Widdecombe's missed TV appearance

As the police piece together the timeline of Ms Widdecombe's death, it was revealed that the former MP had missed a planned TV interview on Wednesday afternoon.

She had appeared on Mark Dolan's TalkTV programme earlier in the day, and was due to feature on Matt Allwright's Channel 5 show.

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WhatsApp messages published by ITV appear to show Ms Widdecombe stopped responding to messages from a producer on the programme around the time police believe the attack took place.

She last sent a message at 12.19pm, acknowledging she had received a Zoom link, but did not respond when she was asked to join the call at 12.48pm.

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