Ann Widdecombe murder suspect drove nearly 500km to her home ‘with wooden stick’
Monday, 13 July 2026
A man suspected of murdering Ann Widdecombe is believed to have driven nearly 500km to her Dartmoor home with a “wooden stick” on the morning of her death, The Telegraph can disclose.
The former Tory minister, who defected to the Brexit Party in 2019 before later joining Reform, was found dead at her bungalow in Haytor, Devon, on Thursday morning after sustaining serious injuries.
Police believe she was killed nearly 24 hours earlier, at around midday on Wednesday, and have arrested a 28-year-old man in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on suspicion of her murder. Devon and Cornwall Police said it was not looking for anyone else.
CCTV footage seen by The Telegraph appears to show a young man leaving an address linked to the suspect.
The video was taken at around 7am on Wednesday, the day on which it is thought the former Tory MP was murdered. Widdecombe’s remote Devonshire home is approximately a four-hour drive from where the suspect was arrested.
Neighbours said they saw him putting “some kind of wooden stick” into the passenger side of a red car before driving off.
Forensic officers were seen entering a terraced house in Rotherham on Sunday morning, with a police cordon and several marked vehicles guarding the scene.
Courtney Foster, 25, who lives on the road in the town’s Kimberworth Park suburb, said the young man who had been arrested rarely left the property.
“He rarely comes out of the house, his dad used to do everything for him and I don’t know what he did for a living,” she said. “I think once his dad died he went a bit loopy.”
She said the arrest was “really loud”, adding: “They took his dog as well – I think it was a labradoodle.”
Other neighbours said the suspect had lived in the property for at least a year and may have had learning difficulties.
“Loads of unmarked police cars and loads of people ran into the house. I feel quite sick to tell you the truth,” said one resident, describing the arrest.
At a press conference on Sunday, Devon and Cornwall Police said there was no suggestion “at this stage” that the alleged murder was politically motivated.
Asst Chief Constable Matt Longman said: “At this point, there is still no information to suggest that this is a terrorism-related incident, and at this point we are not looking at anyone else in connection with this murder.
“Detectives remain open-minded about the potential motive. At this stage there is nothing to suggest it was politically motivated.”
He urged people “not to share or engage with that speculation”, saying: “It’s unhelpful, it doesn’t aid our investigation and particularly it’s distressing to family and friends of Widdecombe.”
Chief Constable James Vaughan said the operation was an example of “British policing at its very best”, adding that the suspect “will undergo some further work” from police on Sunday.
Reform UK is reviewing emails sent to Widdecombe in the weeks before her alleged murder in search for any threats against her life.
The party has also committed to providing round-the-clock security to its MPs in the wake of her death.
On Sunday afternoon, senior figures from Reform UK and their supporters laid flowers near Widdecombe’s home.
Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, said: “We have lost an absolute colossus.
“A legend in our lifetime. Ann Widdecombe was unique. She was adored by millions.”
Laying flowers outside Widdecombe’s home on Saturday, Nigel Farage said the killing appeared “premeditated”.
“Whether it was politically motivated, whether it was somebody with a grudge, I don’t think it pays at this moment in time,” the Reform leader said.
Widdecombe was a Tory MP from 1987 to 2010 for the Kent constituency of Maidstone – later Maidstone and the Weald – and held several ministerial positions in Sir John Major’s government.
She defected to the Brexit Party in protest against Britain’s failure to leave the European Union, and later became a spokesman for Farage’s party.