Counter terrorism police take over investigation into Ann Widdecombe's death

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Counter terrorism police are now leading the investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe, after "new information and evidence", officers have said.

A 28-year-old white British man from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was originally arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday but has now been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

"We are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry to establish the motivation for this attack," head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, Laurence Taylor, said.

On Thursday 78-year-old Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister and later Reform spokeswoman, was found dead at her home in Haytor, Devon, having sustained serious injuries.

Her death sparked a manhunt resulting in the suspect's arrest at about 21:00 on Saturday.

Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said new information "has come to light during what has been a dynamic and complex investigation".

Taylor said the new arrest builds on "the progress made by our colleagues in Devon and Cornwall Police".

"Our priority is progressing this investigation quickly, with all the capabilities we have available to us. If anyone has any information, please share it with the police," he added.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she would be updating the House of Commons about the police's investigation later on Monday afternoon.

The announcement comes after the suspect in the investigation was seen in CCTV footage appearing to get into a car in Yorkshire, hours before the former Conservative minister is thought to have been attacked in her home in Devon.

The man, dressed in a white shirt and shorts, can be seen getting into a red vehicle outside a house in Rotherham with a long object appearing to protrude from his shorts pocket, in footage time-stamped at 07:51 on Wednesday, first reported by the Sun.

The distance between Widdecombe's home and Rotherham, where the 28-year-old was arrested, is about 270 miles (430km) - about a four-and-a-half-hour drive.

At least two police vehicles were seen parked outside a property in Rotherham believed to be connected to the investigation on Sunday, which was cordoned off while officers and forensic teams worked at the scene.

Speaking to BBC News on the same day, one neighbour said: "I was making some food in the kitchen and looked out the window, there was loads of banging, and there was armed police in the pathway and they just went into the house and pulled [the suspect] out."

Another neighbour said police took a red car off the drive.

Earlier on Sunday Devon and Cornwall Police had said there was "nothing to suggest" the murder was politically motivated.

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Labour’s safeguarding minister accused Reform of ‘faux outrage’ over Widdecombe



The safeguarding minister has been forced to apologise after accusing Reform UK of “faux outrage” following the suspected murder of Ann Widdecombe.

Natalie Fleet had attacked Nigel Farage and his party over their claims that police and parliamentary authorities were failing to protect MPs.

The investigation into the death of Miss Widdecombe last Wednesday is being led by counter-terror police. Mr Farage has suggested it was a premeditated murder.

In a now-deleted X post on Sunday night, Ms Fleet had written: “Nigel Farage and his gang of binmen get the same security as the rest of us. Sick of the faux outrage.

“None of them cared when a senior Reform UK politician was sharing my death threats!”

Ms Fleet subsequently withdrew the post after a backlash led by Lee Anderson, the Reform MP for Ashfield.

On Monday afternoon, some 17 hours after her post, Ms Fleet said: “Apologies for offence caused by my earlier tweet, which I’ve now deleted.

“My thoughts are – as they have always been – with Ann Widdecombe’s loved ones at this awful time.”

I notice she hasn't apologised to all binmen!

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Police under fire over Widdecombe terror investigation



While the motive behind the alleged murder remains unclear, Devon and Cornwall Police has come under fire for seemingly talking down the possibility Miss Widdecombe may have been killed because of her views.

Miss Widdecombe was the Reform UK spokesman on immigration and justice, but the force repeatedly rejected suggestions she may have been deliberately targeted.

Jonathan Hall, the Government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said he was “surprised” the force guided the public away from the idea of there being a political element in the killing of Miss Widdecombe, and added that it had “broken one of the golden rules of investigations”.

He said: “I don’t understand why Devon and Cornwall Police were steering the public away from the idea that this was a terrorist case and I don’t know why they didn’t simply say they had an open mind as to the motivation.

“I think they probably broke one of the golden rules of investigations, which is not to comment on live investigations in case new facts emerge. So that aspect is slightly regrettable.”

Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, warned on Saturday that the murder may have been premeditated and party sources accused the police of “gaslighting” the public over the suspect’s motive.

Political opponents had accused Reform of using Miss Widdecombe’s death as propaganda and said the party was scaremongering.

Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, demanded an apology for those accusations on Monday after it emerged the investigation was now being treated as terror-related.

Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, also criticised the police for asking people not to speculate on the crime’s motive, saying such calls meant “shut up and accept the establishment narrative”.

Gawain Towler, a Reform UK board member, said: “In a time when trust in the police is at an all-time low, this just plays into that they are trying to massage public opinion rather than do the job of investigating a brutal murder.

“By appearing to rule something out and then a few days later bringing it back in, they look manipulative and that’s a shame.”

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Widdecombe killing was targeted attack, say police



Ann Widdecombe was killed in a “targeted attack”, counter terror police believe.

The former Tory minister was found dead at her bungalow in Haytor, Devon at around 11.40am on July 9 after sustaining serious injuries.

A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of her murder on Saturday evening.

Devon and Cornwall Police spent the weekend asking the public not to speculate about the motive before announcing on Monday that the suspect had been rearrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Laurence Taylor, head of counter terror policing, [pictured above] also said his officers had been granted seven more days to question the suspect.

He said: “It is clear this was a targeted attack. We are still working to understand the extent of any planning or preparation, and the motivation that sits behind that attack.

“We have conducted extensive searches at an address in Rotherham, and scenes remain in place as that activity continues.

“We’ve also been granted a warrant of further detention, which means the suspect can now be held for questioning for up to seven days under the Terrorism Act.

“He remains under arrest on suspicion of commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism, as well as on suspicion of murder. Now, this is a complex investigation. There are multiple lines of inquiry that we are pursuing expeditiously, and that includes a number of digital forensic examinations.”

He added: “I don’t intend to address every bit of speculation that we have seen, but I would like to use this opportunity to remind the public that investigations of this type are complex, and that new information can emerge as officers progress their inquiries.

“And we do intend to release further information when it’s available, and when it is appropriate to do so, so please allow us to do our job thoroughly and carefully, and think before sharing any unverified information.”

Alison Hernandez, Devon and Cornwall’s police and crime commissioner, defended the force’s handling of the case at a separate press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

She said: “As the Home Secretary said yesterday, it is not unusual that in a fast-paced investigation, more information comes to light that changes the nature or the character of what the police are dealing with.”

He said: “I don’t understand why Devon and Cornwall Police were steering the public away from the idea that this was a terrorist case and I don’t know why they didn’t simply say they had an open mind as to the motivation.

“I think they probably broke one of the golden rules of investigations, which is not to comment on live investigations in case new facts emerge. So that aspect is slightly regrettable.”

Gawain Towler, a Reform UK board member, said: “In a time when trust in the police is at an all-time low, this just plays into that they are trying to massage public opinion rather than do the job of investigating a brutal murder.

“By appearing to rule something out and then a few days later bringing it back in, they look manipulative, and that’s a shame.”

Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, has also demanded that police apologise for their earlier claims while Zia Yusuf, the party’s home affairs spokesman, said the force had effectively been telling people to “shut up and accept the establishment narrative”.

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Trans university worker charged over message hoping Widdecombe had a ‘painful death’



A transgender university worker accused of hoping Ann Widdecombe had a “painful death” has been charged.

Heather Herbert, 50, allegedly said it was “good news” that the politician had died and hoped she had been “handcuffed to the bed as she screamed in agony” during her last moments.

The remarks were posted on a social media site called Bluesky last week, before it was announced that Miss Widdecombe’s death at her home in Devon was being investigated as a murder.

Police Scotland has arrested and charged the University of Aberdeen web developer in connection with the posts. Details of the charge will be made public at Herbert’s first court appearance.

Herbert is accused of writing on Bluesky in response to reports that Miss Widdecombe had died: “And some good news for once. I hope it was an extremely painful death. And I hope she was handcuffed to the bed as she screamed in agony.”

A reply to another user condemning Herbert’s use of language allegedly said: “I’m done with being nice to pieces of human garbage like her.”

Police Scotland initially said the comments contained “no criminality”.

However, a spokesman for the force said: “We received reports on Saturday, July 11, 2026 relating to a post made online. Following further assessment, a 50-year-old has been arrested and charged in connection. A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”

The University of Aberdeen previously said the alleged comments were “under review”.

A spokesman said: “The comments that have been shared are entirely the individual’s own and do not represent the views of the [university].

“We do not condone violence or hateful behaviour in any form. We are co-operating with Police Scotland as they carry out their inquiries and cannot comment further.”