28-year-old arrested in South Yorkshire, suspected of murdering former British MP Anne Widdecombe

A 28-year-old man has been arrested by British police on suspicion of murdering former Conservative MP and minister Anne Widdecombe, who was found dead at her home in Haytor, in Devon.

According to a statement from Devon and Cornwall Police, the suspect was arrested on Saturday evening in South Yorkshire and is currently being held in custody. Officers from the North East Counter Terrorism Command and South Yorkshire Police were also involved in the operation.

Authorities clarified that, at this stage of the investigation, there is no evidence that the crime was linked to terrorism or motivated by political reasons.

Widdecombe, 78, was found dead at her home on Thursday and had suffered severe injuries. According to investigators, she is believed to have died around a day before her body was found.

This is the second person arrested in connection with the case. Earlier, on Friday, police arrested a 26-year-old man, but he was later released and is no longer considered a suspect in the incident.

Anne Widdecombe was one of the best-known names in British politics. She represented the Conservative Party as an MP from 1987 to 2010 and also held ministerial posts in the Conservative government. She later joined Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party, with which she was elected as an MEP in 2019. After the United Kingdom left the European Union, she took on the role of Reform UK’s spokesperson on immigration issues.

Following the announcement of her death, Nigel Farage paid tribute to the former minister, saying that she “dedicated her life to public service.” Messages of condolence have also come from politicians across the British political spectrum, while investigations to fully clarify the incident are ongoing.