Police investigating the suspected murder of former MP Ann Widdecombe have arrested a second man, marking a significant development in the fast-moving investigation into her death.
The 78-year-old former Conservative MP and Reform UK politician was found dead inside the kitchen of her remote Dartmoor cottage on Thursday after her gardener made the grim discovery. Officers believe she was attacked shortly after midday on Wednesday, less than an hour before she was due to appear live on television.
On Saturday evening, detectives arrested a 28-year-old white British man at an address in South Yorkshire, around 270 miles from Ms Widdecombe’s home, on suspicion of murder. He remains in police custody.
In a statement, Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed: “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 force added: “The suspect, who is a white British national, is now in police custody. Ms Widdecombe’s family have been informed of this development.”
Police said officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North East and South Yorkshire Police assisted with the arrest on behalf of Devon and Cornwall Police.
However, detectives stressed that “there is still no information to suggest that this is a terrorism related incident and as a force we retain primacy of the investigation.”
The latest arrest comes just hours after a 26-year-old man, who had been arrested on suspicion of murder on Friday, was released from custody and eliminated from the investigation.
Investigators believe Ms Widdecombe was attacked at around 12.30pm on Wednesday. Her body was discovered in a pool of blood inside her kitchen less than 24 hours later after emergency services were called to the property.
New details have also emerged about the former politician’s final known movements.
She had appeared on Talk TV at around 8am on Wednesday and was scheduled to join Channel 5 presenter Matt Allwright for another television appearance at 1pm.
According to reports, a Channel 5 researcher spoke with Ms Widdecombe earlier that day to arrange the interview. After the phone call, they exchanged messages, with her final reply arriving at 12.19pm.
When the researcher sent another message at 12.48pm asking her to join the Zoom interview, there was no response. Further calls and messages also went unanswered, prompting growing concern among the production team, who later contacted her agent.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said detectives are making rapid progress as they continue gathering evidence.
He said: “Our priority remains identifying those responsible and ensuring that all available evidence is thoroughly examined.”
He added: “The investigation is moving at a significant pace. We are deploying all of the necessary resources to find out exactly what has happened.”
Mr Longman also urged the public not to speculate about the case.
He 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.”
He continued: “In the meantime, I would ask people not to speculate about what might have happened, particularly on social media. This is not only potentially harmful to our investigation but also deeply distressing for family and friends of Ms Widdecombe.”
Police reiterated there is currently no evidence suggesting the killing was politically motivated.
Meanwhile, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage visited the scene on Saturday to lay flowers in memory of Ms Widdecombe, whom he described as a close friend.
Mr Farage suggested he believed the killing had been carefully planned rather than being a burglary that went wrong.
He said: “One theory doing the rounds is that it was a burglary gone wrong. But a car went onto the drive at approximately 12.25pm on Wednesday.”
He added: “If you were a burglar, would you literally drive your car onto someone’s drive? From what I can see of it, from what I make out, this was premeditated murder.”
However, he cautioned: “Whether it was politically motivated, whether it was someone with a grudge. I don’t think it pays at this time to speculate.”
According to reports, members of Ms Widdecombe’s family are said to be uncomfortable with attempts to politicise her death, while Reform UK has introduced 24-hour security for all of its MPs amid concerns about possible copycat attacks.
