UK Police Confirm Former Minister Anne Widdecombe’s Murder Was Preplanned Attack
The UK Counter Terrorism Unit announced on Tuesday that the killing of former minister Anne Widdecombe was a premeditated act, not a botched robbery as initially suspected. Widdecombe, 78, was clearly targeted by the assailant, with police investigating whether other right-wing politicians from the UK Reform party, to which she belonged in recent years, were also potential targets. Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister under John Major from 1992 to 1997, had recently been a spokesperson on immigration and justice for Nigel Farage’s UK Reform party, which is gaining ground in polls.
Widdecombe was murdered last Wednesday around 12:30 p.m. at her home in the small Devon village of Heytor. Her body was discovered the next day by her carer, showing severe head injuries from a blunt object. On the morning of her death, she had given a remote interview and was scheduled to appear on a TV program at 1 p.m., but never showed up. Attempts by the program’s team to contact her failed, prompting them to alert her agent, who then asked the carer to check on her.
A 28-year-old man was arrested on Saturday in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, about 430 kilometers from the crime scene, and is now a terror suspect. Police believe he traveled over four hours specifically to kill Widdecombe. Surveillance footage showed him leaving a house in Rotherham carrying a wooden object shortly before the estimated time of the murder.
Initially, police suggested the motive might have been a failed robbery, but the involvement of counterterrorism investigators and statements from Lawrence Taylor, head of the UK Counter Terrorism Unit, confirmed the attack was targeted. Taylor declined to speculate on the suspect’s ideology or motive but said the investigation is ongoing to determine the extent of planning and any broader threats. He did not confirm whether other UK Reform politicians were targeted but said this line of inquiry is being pursued.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman stated the suspect, a white British man, was not known to the government’s deradicalization program. The police have faced criticism for initially downplaying the terror aspect and only involving counterterrorism units five days after the murder. UK Reform party members accused police of misleading the public about the circumstances. Widdecombe’s murder is the latest in a series of attacks on UK politicians, following the 2016 killing of Labour MP Jo Cox and the 2021 stabbing of Conservative MP David Amess.
