Police release suspect in murder investigation of former MP Ann Widdecombe
Devon and Cornwall Police said a 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of killing former minister Ann Widdecombe has been released, and investigators see no terrorism or political motive.
A 26-year-old white British man arrested in Newton Abbot on suspicion of murdering former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe was released on Saturday, Devon and Cornwall Police said. Detectives believe the 78-year-old was attacked on Wednesday around 11:30 GMT, a day before her body was discovered at her rural southwest England home. Police found no evidence that the killing was terrorism-related or politically motivated and said there was no wider risk to the public. Widdecombe, who served as a junior minister in the 1990s and later as an immigration spokesperson for Reform UK, was known for her socially conservative views. Tributes were offered by politicians across the spectrum, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer. > "She stood up and fought for what she believed in – a devout Christian and somebody with strong, socially conservative views," Nigel Farage said in a video posted on his social-media account.