Police in the U.K. have confirmed that they opened a murder investigation into her death and subsequently arrested a 26-year-old white British national, aAfter news broke on Friday that Ann Widdecombe had died. 

Widdecombe, a prominent politician who converted to Catholicism in 1993 and was outspokenly pro-life, was found in her rural home in Devon, on Thursday morning.

At a press conference Friday evening, Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman from Devon and Cornwall police confirmed that the arrest was made on Friday afternoon at an address in Newton Abbot, Devon.

Longman said the incident wasn’t being treated as terrorism and also that there is no information at the moment suggesting it was politically motivated, although the police were remaining “open-minded” throughout the investigation.

He said it was “too early” to comment on whether the suspect was known to Widdecombe.

He also made an appeal to the public to come forward with any information they might have and that the police have set up a portal for the public to submit information.

On Friday afternoon, Devon and Cornwall announced that they had launched a murder investigation and directed Crux Now to a statement on the matter.

“A murder investigation has been launched following the suspicious death of former MP Ann Widdecombe at her home on Dartmoor in Devon. Police officers were called to an address at Haytor by the ambulance service at around 11.40am on Thursday 9 July,” the statement said.

“Sadly, 78-year-old Miss Widdecombe was located deceased within the property. She had sustained serious injuries. Her next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers,” it added.

“Detectives from the Force Major Crime Investigation Team have launched a murder investigation and are conducting extensive enquiries into the circumstances surrounding Miss Widdecombe’s death. A cordon remains in place at the property while specialist officers continue forensic examinations. There are road closures in place around the scene,” the statement also said.

Earlier in the day, Detective Chief Inspector Ilona Rosson said the police were looking for “a white male.”

“This is an extremely tragic incident and our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe at this difficult time,” Rosson said, adding that the murder investigation “is in its early stages but moving at a significant pace.”

“We are deploying all of the necessary resources to find out exactly what has happened and to locate the person responsible who we believe to be a white male,” Rosson also said.

“I would appeal to anyone who may have information about this incident, however insignificant it may seem, to come forward and speak with us,” Rosson added.

Widdecombe spent 23 years as a Member of Parliament for Maidstone in Kent for the Conservatives, from 1987 to 2010. After leaving parliament, she appeared on TV shows Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.

A staunch supporter of the UK’s exit from the European Union, she later caused a stir by leaving the Conservatives and joining the then-Brexit Party as a Member of European Parliament (MEP), which later became Reform UK, the right-wing populist party of which Nigel Farage is the leader.

She later became Reform UK’s spokesperson for immigration and justice.

Kier Starmer, the UK’s Prime Minister, told the BBC that it was “shocking news” and he didn’t want to speculate on the potential motives of the suspect.

Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservatives, said she was “stunned” at the news.

“I’ve been stunned to hear this awful news. To be honest, I’ve really struggled to find the words to say. Ann Widdecombe was a very fun and feisty woman who spoke her mind and she was 78 years old, she was an elderly woman,” Badenoch said.

“I don’t understand how someone could do something so horrific to an elderly person. It was a nasty, horrific attack and my heart is breaking for her family. It’s one thing when someone dies, but to know that they’ve been murdered in this horrible way is just awful,” she added.

Widdecombe was received into the Catholic Church in 1993, following the Anglican Church’s decision to ordain women. Her brother, Canon Malcolm Widdecombe (1937-2010), remained a lifelong Anglican and was the vicar of St. Philip and St. Jacob in Bristol.

Widdecombe was an outspoken advocate for Church teaching and was publicly pro-life. Speaking to EWTN’s Colm Flynn last September, she explained what it was that drew her to the Church.

“The great thing about Catholicism is it doesn’t compromise – something is either true or it’s false. It’s right or it’s wrong. It’s a sin or it’s not. There’s none of this endless fudging that you get with the Anglican Church,” she said.

“If you believe something, say it. I mean, what is the point of believing it if you won’t say it,” she added, in explanation for her forthrightness.