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Counter terror police say Ann Widdecombe killing was targeted attack

15 July 202629 views0

Counter-terrorism police have confirmed that Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative cabinet minister and Reform UK spokeswoman, was killed in a targeted attack at her home on Dartmoor last week, though they said the motive behind her death remained under active investigation.

Widdecombe, 78, is believed to have been attacked at her bungalow in the village of Haytor, Devon, on the afternoon of Wednesday 8 July. Her body was discovered by police the following morning. She had sustained serious injuries.

Devon and Cornwall Police initially said there was nothing to suggest a terrorism link or political motivation. That assessment changed on Monday when Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the House of Commons that new information had come to light, prompting counter-terrorism officers to take over the investigation. The suspect — a 28-year-old white British man from Rotherham, South Yorkshire — had been arrested on Saturday on suspicion of murder, more than 200 miles from the scene. He was subsequently rearrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism and remains in custody under an extended detention warrant, which allows police to question him for up to seven days under the Terrorism Act.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, said the attack was clearly targeted but declined to characterise its motivation. He confirmed that whether the suspect had been targeting other Reform UK figures would form a line of inquiry, while stressing that no conclusion had been reached. The suspect was not known to the government’s Prevent anti-extremism programme. Incoming prime minister Andy Burnham said he would order a serious review of the security arrangements in place for elected politicians.

The facts of the case have not been contested across the press. Left-leaning outlets have largely followed the police framing closely, keeping coverage procedural and anchored to the “targeted attack” designation without dwelling on Widdecombe’s political identity or the Reform UK dimension. Right-leaning titles have foregrounded both — treating the counter-terrorism involvement and unresolved motive as a broader threat signal, and emphasising Widdecombe’s significance as a political figure.