Mourners arrive for Ann Widdecombe's funeral after police and sniffer dogs sweep church in Devon where service is being held
Tributes will be paid by the Rev Roger Widdecombe, Miss Widdecombe’s nephew, and Sir Christian Sweeting, a close friend
Mourners have started to arrive at the funeral service of former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe.
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The former Tory MP's funeral is taking place today at the Buckfast Abbey in Devon at 2pm.
The church is a Benedictine monastery where Miss Widdecombe, 78, regularly worshipped.
Mourners could be seen wearing black as they arrived at the requiem mass – a Catholic service where prayers are offered for the soul of the dead – for the former MP, who later became a Reform UK spokeswoman.
Police officers have carried out patrols outside the church and are doing security patrols. One police dog was pictured sniffing a bin and seating area during a security sweep of the site.
She died on July 8 after she was hit over the head with a hammer 21 times at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon.
Several of her former political colleagues were seen arriving at the service, including the shadow chancellor Mel Stride and former justice minister Crispin Blunt.
LBC's Iain Dale also drove through the night down from Edinburgh to attend the service.
The broadcaster has paid tribute on LBC's website to his friend of 29 years, writing that he hopes to meet the former MP in heaven one day.
Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was charged with her murder on July 20.
Mourners dressed in black could be seen hugging one another as they arrived at the abbey just after 1pm on Wednesday.
The funeral's order of service is available to be downloaded from the Buckfast Abbey website.
The order of service for the requiem mass shows tributes will be paid by the Rev Roger Widdecombe, Miss Widdecombe’s nephew, and Sir Christian Sweeting, a close friend.
It states that donations made in memory of Miss Widdecombe will be divided between the Leprosy Mission and Abound, supporting the projects of the Christian Endeavour Hostel in India.
There will be a bible reading from Miss Widdecombe's great-nephew, Jem Widdecombe.
The private requiem mass will include a homily from the Rt Rev David Charlesworth, Abbot of Buckfast, which will be made available to read online at 2pm.
A statement from the abbey said Miss Widdecombe would be “missed and fondly remembered” and “many in our worshipping community knew her as a kind and warm character”.
“Ann was a woman of profound faith, a faith which found expression in the public forum of politics,” the statement said.
“Ann was unafraid to express her unwavering convictions, formed through her Roman Catholic faith. She had a sharp intellect and was a dedicated public servant."
A public memorial for Miss Widdecombe will be held later this year.
“Ann was a woman of profound faith, a faith which found expression in the public forum of politics,” the statement said.
“Ann was unafraid to express her unwavering convictions, formed through her Roman Catholic faith. She had a sharp intellect and was a dedicated public servant.”
Miss Widdecombe was first elected as a Conservative MP in Kent in 1987, served as a prisons minister in the 1990s, and later became an MEP for the Brexit Party.
At the time of her death, she was a spokeswoman on immigration and justice for Reform UK.
She also found fame outside politics on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother.
On Tuesday, counter-terror police investigating her death reopened a year-old probe into an alleged firebomb attack at Nigel Farage’s home in south London.
Officers said the incident, which reports have called a “lit incendiary device” being posted through the Reform UK leader’s letterbox, happened at an address in Greater London and was reported in April 2025.