Police under fire over Widdecombe terror investigation after initially insisting killing was 'not political'
Police could now be allowed to hold the suspect for up to 14 days for questioning under terrorism legislation if needed
Police have come under fire over their handling of the Ann Widdecombe murder investigation after initially claiming it was not "politically motivated" - before counter-terror police swooped in.
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Miss Widdecombe, 78, latterly a Reform UK spokeswoman and Brexit Party MEP, was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon.
Her body was discovered at about 11.40am on Thursday at her remote bungalow. She had sustained serious injuries.
A 28-year-old white British man who was arrested on suspicion of her murder on Saturday has since been rearrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Police could be allowed to hold him for up to 14 days for questioning under terrorism legislation if needed.
Devon and Cornwall police is now under fire after the case was declared a terrorism investigation.
Andrew Rosindell, Reform UK MP for Romford, told Tom Swarbrick on LBC that the way police have handled the investigation from the start "calls into question their judgement".
He questioned why they didn't stay silent on motivation from the start.
"What I am unhappy about is that they should make any kind of statement about what it may not be about when they didn't know," Mr Rosindell said.
"Their job is just to tell us the facts as they come to light.
"They clearly didn't have the facts, and it would have been better had they said nothing than say something which has turned out to be potentially incorrect."
The Government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation has also questioned why Devon and Cornwall Police steered the public away from Miss Widdecombe's death being terror-related.
Jonathan Hall said: “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.”
Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice and board member Gawain Towler have also spoken out after the police told the public conflicting accounts of what happened.
Mr Towler 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.
“We saw it with Henry Nowak, we saw it with Southport.
“By appearing to rule something out and then a few days later bringing it back in, they look manipulative and that’s a shame.”
Mr Tice said it would be “wise, when considering motivation” for police to keep an open mind “as opposed to ruling things out too quickly that may then end up being ruled back in”.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the House of Commons on Monday that the suspect was not known to the Government anti-extremism scheme Prevent.
She said Miss Widdecombe was “one of those rare politicians who was bigger than politics”, and that the circumstances of the former Maidstone MP’s death were “extremely distressing”.
“She was a unique figure in our politics, a distinctive and devoted public servant, the likes of whom we will rarely, if ever, see again,” she added.
“Ann had a profound faith. Her journey in this life has ended too soon.”
Nigel Farage has been offered a meeting with the head of a parliamentary body responsible for politicians’ security amid the party’s concerns about the safety of Reform UK MPs, Ms Mahmood said.
She will also look at security advice for former members of parliament and members of parties that do not have MPs.
Earlier, it had been announced that counter-terrorism policing was taking over the investigation from the Devon and Cornwall force.
Laurence Taylor, head of UK counter-terrorism policing, said: “Building on the progress made by our colleagues in Devon and Cornwall Police, we now have new information and evidence that means Counter Terrorism Policing is now leading the investigation.
“We are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry to establish the motivation for this attack.
“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.
“We would like to thank local communities, the wider public and the media for their ongoing support and patience, and would ask them to continue to support us in the next stage of the investigation.”
Footage was shared with media outlets showing a man with no top on being arrested and led away from a house in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on Saturday.
In cases of this kind, investigators will look through devices owned by the suspect to see if there is any terrorist material, and consider other issues such as their mental health.
If a range of different extremist material has been accessed, it can be challenging to decipher one ideology – more than half the referrals to Prevent in the year to the end of March 2025 were for no fixed ideology.
Police believe Miss Widdecombe was attacked on Wednesday at about 12.30pm, shortly before she had been due on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show.
ITV News later published a series of WhatsApp images that appear to show that Miss Widdecombe stopped responding to messages from a TV producer after the approximate time police believe the attack took place that day.
Meanwhile, Downing Street stressed the importance of protecting the “integrity” of the investigation.
Mr Farage faced calls for restraint at the weekend after giving his thoughts about the case.
Miss Widdecombe was first elected a Conservative MP in Kent in 1987, and went on to become an MEP for the Brexit Party and then a spokeswoman for Reform UK.
She also found fame outside politics after starring in Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother.