Ann Widdecombe 'raised profile of Devon at national level'

Ann Widdecombe has been remembered as a woman who dedicated her life to public service and helped to raise the profile of Devon at a national level.

Liberal Democrat party leader Sir Ed Davey paid tribute to Miss Widdecombe during a visit to Torbay today.

He was speaking before police revealed they were launching a murder inquiry into Miss Widdecombe’s death after she was found dead at her home on Dartmoor.

Mr Davey said: “Ann didn’t share my politics, and I didn’t share hers, that’s no secret. But she was a woman of faith and she dedicated her life to public service, and that should be respected.

“Obviously our thoughts are with her family and friends today.”

Ann Widdecombe, who had lived at her house on Dartmoor for a number of years and is remembered as being devoted to her cats, has died at the age of 78.

A statement from her management said: “It is with great sadness that today we announce the death of the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe, DSG. We send our deepest condolences to Ann’s family and friends.

“We ask that the family’s wish not to be contacted at this sad time is respected.”

Miss Widdecombe was a Conservative MP between 1987 and 2010 for the Kent constituency of Maidstone, later Maidstone and the Weald, and held several ministerial positions in Sir John Major’s government.

The statement from Cloud9 Management, who represented her for more than a decade, said she would be greatly missed.

It went on: “Her life and career were driven by her strong Christian values and commitment to public service.

“She loved the cut and thrust of political debate and, 16 years after leaving Parliament, was still actively campaigning for Reform UK and offering forthright views on the hot topics of the day across numerous radio and television programmes.

“Ann was a valued patron of many causes, particularly her animal charities. As Ann once said on The Graham Norton Show, ‘we get one go this side of eternity, one go. Life is not a dress rehearsal, you take opportunities that you like and you go for it, that’s my philosophy’.”

In her post-Commons career she appeared on the BBC ’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 partnered with Anton du Beke, and survived until the competition’s semi-finals thanks to the public vote.

Throughout her political career she was a prominent Eurosceptic and supported the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 Brexit referendum. She became a member of the Brexit Party and served as a Member of the European Parliament representing South West England between 2019 and 2020.

She joined Reform UK in 2023 and spoke at its party conference.

She was also known for her socially conservative views, which included opposing the legality of abortion and opposing widening rights for the LGBT community.

Torbay’s Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling said: “It is a loss to Devon, because whilst I vigorously disagreed with her politics, she was a major player who lived locally.

“As such she did help raise the profile of Devon on the national scene.”