Ann Widdecombe Laid to Rest as 100 Mourners Gather to Say Their Final Goodbye to Former Tory Minister After Alleged Murder

Family members, friends and leading politicians gathered to say goodbye to former MP Ann Widdecombe after she was allegedly murdered at her home.

Around 100 people attended the private funeral at Buckfast Abbey in Devon. Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, former Justice Minister Crispin Blunt and broadcaster Iain Dale were among the mourners.

The Catholic funeral service lasted about 90 minutes. Mourners dressed in black as they arrived at the abbey, while police officers and a detection dog carried out security checks around the grounds. Officers were seen searching drains, bins, seating areas and plant pots before the service began.

Ann’s nephew, Reverend Roger Widdecombe, and her close friend Sir Christian Sweeting both spoke during the service.

Buckfast Abbey said Ann would be deeply missed and warmly remembered. The abbey described her as a kind woman with a strong Christian faith, a sharp mind and a long record of public service. It said she was never afraid to speak openly about the beliefs shaped by her Roman Catholic faith.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage did not attend the private funeral. He was campaigning in Clacton and reportedly did not want his presence to draw attention away from the service, as Ann’s family had asked for privacy.

However, Mr Farage is expected to attend a public memorial for Ann later this year. In a message shared on X, he described her as an extraordinary woman who made a lasting impact on British politics and said she would be greatly missed.

Ann, 78, was found with serious injuries at her bungalow in Dartmoor, Devon, on July 9. Investigators believe she may have been attacked the previous day, after giving two media interviews that morning.

Concerns were raised when members of her team were unable to contact her. She was due to take part in an online interview with Channel 5 presenter Matt Allwright, but she did not appear. An employee later went to her home and found her unresponsive with visible injuries.

An inquest heard that the provisional cause of her death was a blunt-force injury to the head.

Joshua Kerry, 28, was arrested in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, two days later. He has been charged with Ann’s murder. A court was told that the alleged attack was planned and targeted and involved extreme violence. The case has not yet been decided, and Kerry has not been convicted.

Counter-terrorism officers later took control of the investigation. Devon and Cornwall Police faced criticism after initially saying there was no evidence to suggest the alleged killing was politically motivated.

Following Ann’s death, several Reform UK figures gathered near her home for a vigil. Nigel Farage, Richard Tice, Zia Yusuf, Lee Anderson and Danny Kruger were among those who laid flowers in her memory.

Ann served as a Conservative MP from 1987 until 2010, representing Maidstone and later Maidstone and The Weald in Kent. She also held several ministerial roles during Sir John Major’s government.

After leaving Parliament, she became well known to a wider audience through television. She appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and finished as runner-up on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.

She later left the Conservative Party and joined the Brexit Party, which became Reform UK. She went on to serve as a spokeswoman for Reform.

Meanwhile, police investigating her death have reopened a separate inquiry into an alleged attempted firebombing at a south London home linked to Nigel Farage.

The incident was reported in April 2025 after an alleged attempt to break into the property. It is claimed that a burning device was pushed through the letterbox. The original investigation was closed after police failed to identify a suspect.

Counter-terrorism officers have since said they discovered a possible line of inquiry that was not followed at the time and may have been important. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is now examining the actions of a Counter Terrorism Policing London staff member over claims that they failed to identify and investigate that information.