Police investigating murder of former British politician found dead in her home

A murder investigation was launched Friday into the death of Ann Widdecombe, a former member of Parliament who was found dead in her home in southwest England, police said. A man was arrested Friday afternoon but has since been released, and police say he is no longer being investigated. 

The 78-year-old former Conservative lawmaker and prisons minister had “sustained serious injuries” when she was found on Thursday in Haytor, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, according to a statement from Devon and Cornwall Police.

Police said earlier they were seeking a White male suspect, who U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as “clearly dangerous,” according to CBS News partner BBC News. 

The BBC reported the man, 26, was arrested on Friday afternoon. The suspect was described by police as a British national. Police said it is too early to say if the suspect knew Widdecombe. On Saturday morning, he was released and police said he is no longer part of the investigation.

When asked if there was evidence that Widdecombe’s death was politically motivated, Starmer said he would not speculate about the case, according to the BBC. Starmer, who recently resigned as prime minister and is holding the position until an election is held, said that Britons should “rise above any political differences,” and said he had spoken to top officials “to urge everybody to come together.”  

Widdecombe served in the House of Commons as an MP from 1987 to 2010 and was known for socially conservative views opposing abortion rights and expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.

She found fame after leaving Parliament as a contestant on the “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother” reality television shows. Widdecombe’s “Strictly Come Dancing” partner Anton Du Beke called her death the “saddest of news” on social media and said he was devastated by the news.

Widdecombe later joined the Brexit Party and became a spokeswoman for the anti-immigration Reform UK party. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson called her a “heroic Brexiteer and a great speaker who could move Tory audiences to such ecstasy that she was a very hard act to follow.”

The management company that represented her after she left politics said her life and career were driven by strong Christian values and a commitment to public service.

“She loved the cut and thrust of political debate and, 16 years after leaving Parliament, was still actively campaigning for Reform UK and offering forthright views on the hot topics of the day,” Cloud9 Management said.

“As Ann once said … ‘we get one go this side of eternity, one go. Life is not a dress rehearsal, you take opportunities that you like and you go for it, that’s my philosophy.'”

Widdecombe told the BBC in 2008 that she had spent time in Dartmoor National Park as a child. She told the BBC that she named her home Widdecombe’s Rest and that she planned to spend the rest of her life there.