Death of Ann Widdecombe

Baroness Doocey Excerpts

Tuesday 14th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord True (Con)]

My Lords, no 78 year-old woman deserves to be bludgeoned to death in her own home. The whole House will wish that the search for anyone who may have incited or abetted her cowardly killer will be far-reaching and remorseless and their punishment unbending. To those who sneered about Ann Widdecombe after the news of her death or, worse, welcomed her death, I say that to try to unsay such things when you learn of the manner of her death does not make it okay. Your shameful words are indelible, and their stain lies not on her but for ever on you. There is too much easy hatred in politics today. We must confront all its perpetrators and root them out.

There was no hatred in Ann Widdecombe. Strong principles? Yes, you sure knew where you stood. Convictions expressed with clarity? Certainly. A zeal to serve her community? Absolutely. Readiness to debate fiercely and then make up with a drink and a laugh afterwards? Very much so. People who knew her in the House of Commons say there was never a harder-working constituency MP. She worked for the causes in which she believed day in, day out, right to the very end. Her killer found her after one engagement, and he took her as she was preparing for her next one.

The response from her own community in recent days has shown how dearly she was loved by her neighbours and those with whom she so faithfully worshipped her divine creator at Buckfast Abbey. She was one of those rare politicians that non-politicians, real people, related to and liked. Yes, she was a character. She loved her country. My goodness me, how much she loved this land. Eccentric, maybe, but how English is that? My party leader, Kemi Badenoch, spoke simply and eloquently, as a woman of a woman, of the shock that we in the Conservative Party feel at the loss of a dear colleague of decades. Like Kemi, I reach out to the members of Reform, to whom Ann lately hitched her redoubtable wagon. Her loss is a loss, in my judgment, to the whole of public life, and it is another darkening of the happiness and the cheerful innocence of things.

I thank the Minister for the kind words that we have heard from the Government and from so many in the party opposite. Sometimes, we know that we are all brothers and sisters under the skin, on the same journey, for the same purpose of public duty. Ann’s death is another reminder of the real threats to many in public life. We remember David Amess, Jo Cox, Ian Gow, Anthony Berry, Robert Bradford, Airey Neave —all slain by terrorists while serving MPs.

I know that there is a limit to what the Minister will be able to say about the ongoing investigation, but the announcement that counterterrorism police are now leading the investigation has only deepened concern felt here in Westminster and across the country. The Home Secretary said that the suspect was not known to Prevent. Can the Minister give the House any update on latest information that he can share?

Understandably, there was much in the Statement about the advice available to MPs and new provision that may be made at the other end of this palace. Can the Minister say anything about what provision may be made for Members of your Lordships’ House, who are not free from daily threats of violence? We must never, ever close the gates of democracy, but we must safeguard all those, Members or not, who come to Parliament to serve their fellow countrymen and women.

Surprise has been widely expressed about the haste with which the Devon and Cornwall Police downplayed any idea that there was a political motive to this killing. Is the Minister satisfied with protocols for releasing information to the public in high-profile cases in this social media age? Will he commit to reviewing the handling of this case so that the right lessons are learned?

That is for the future. For now, all our thoughts and prayers should be with Ann’s family and friends. I know that the whole House will join with me in expressing our deepest sympathies to them all.

[Baroness Doocey (LD)]

My Lords, from these Benches, we join others in extending condolences for the death of Ann Widdecombe. The reaction to this tragedy has rightly included tributes from every party and from all sections of society. That is a reminder that, under fierce disagreement, there is a shared commitment to our democratic institutions and a shared vulnerability when violence enters political life.

Like every Member of this House, we were shocked and saddened by her death, the circumstances of which are subject to an active police investigation. The police have been clear right from the outset that they are treating this as a suspected murder. However, they have not yet established a motive. The situation seems to change constantly, and I suspect that it will continue to do so, as they uncover more and more evidence.

They have also asked us to respect their request not to speculate and to allow them to do their work. If only we could have the same lack of speculation on the internet and on social media. Would that not be great? Unfortunately, however, it is never going to happen.

Ann Widdecombe commanded widespread respect for her commitment to democratic debate and public services, first as a councillor, then as an MP for two decades, then as a Government Minister and, finally, as a Member of the European Parliament. This tragedy is a reminder that those who serve in public life should be able to do so safely.

We depend on people from all parties and none to put themselves forward and speak their minds without fear or favour, but my personal experience suggests that younger people, in particular, will not even consider the possibility of making politics their life. When you ask them, even though they are highly articulate and very happy to tell you what the Government should and should not do, they say, “We are not going to put ourselves forward to be shot down”. I honestly think that we all ought to work together to change this system. They should not be feeling like that. They should want to serve and realise how great it is to do so.

From these Benches, we send our sympathy to Ann’s family, her friends, her former colleagues, her constituents and her community, who will all be grieving her loss. Our responsibility now is to continue our arguments, definitely with seriousness but also with civility, and to give the police the space they need to establish the facts of her very sad death.

[The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Hanson of Flint) (Lab)]

My Lords, I am grateful for the contributions from both the noble Lord, Lord True, and the noble Baroness, Lady Doocey. Everybody in this House knows that politics is about beliefs, about standing for things, and about making your views known. No one can deny that Ann Widdecombe did that in a way that was energetic, forthright, occasionally humorous and, unlike many Members of this House, occasionally on “Strictly Come Dancing”, which is important.

I spent 18 years in the Commons with Ann Widdecombe, and I cannot think of many areas where we ever agreed, but we disagreed with civility, with humanity and with mutual respect for views that we held. The loss of her in these circumstances is devastating for her family and for all who knew her, particularly for Members of this House who knew her as well. She brought conviction to our politics. She was forthright in her opinions. She argued courageously for things she believed in. She did not deserve to be murdered in this way.

As the noble Lord and the noble Baroness have mentioned, I cannot comment on the current police investigation; it is not appropriate for me to do that. What I can say in answer to the noble Lord, Lord True, is that the police are making a further statement on the developments in the murder investigation possibly as I speak—they were due to hold a press conference between 3 pm and 3.15 pm and they may well be doing that now; I am trying to check whether anything further has been said. It is important that we give the police time to examine that.

The issue that the noble Lord and the noble Baroness mentioned about Devon & Cornwall Police and the counterterrorism police is a step that has been taken in co-operation with both forces to look at further leads. It does not necessarily mean that terrorism was involved, but it is important that we give the police the opportunity to investigate. The counterterrorism police have now taken the lead on the investigation. As Laurence Taylor, the head of national Counterterrorism Policing, has said:

“We … have new information and evidence that means Counter Terrorism Policing is leading the investigation … We are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry to establish the motivation for this attack”.


Ann Widdecombe had an inimitable style in politics. She was valued by her own side and across both Houses of Parliament. She served Maidstone for 23 years as a champion for her constituents. She served the country in government as Minister for Employment and then Minister for Prisons. She served with pride and with a commitment that means that today we mourn her loss tremendously.

Both noble Lords who have spoken mentioned security for elected politicians. I can remember every case of the murder of a politician that the noble Lord, Lord True, mentioned. I have seen colleagues of mine, Jo Cox and Sir David Amess, murdered. I have watched from afar as Airey Neave, Ian Gow and Reverend Robert Bradford were murdered. It is not a way to do politics. We do our politics by discussion. It is important that we ensure that Members of Parliament and Members of this House have the support to be able to do that job free of fear. I do not think there is a single Member of Parliament who has not faced threats at some time or other, and many Members of this House do so as well.

Ultimately, it is the parliamentary authorities who are responsible for the security of this House, but we in the Home Office will work with them and we will continue to review how we can work with Operation Bridger, which is the police support, through local forces and through national support to ensure that we get that protection. It will be done on the basis of threat and of particular support for Members of Parliament who require it.

Ultimately, we will find out who murdered Ann Widdecombe and they will face a severe prison sentence in due course. But we should remember the contribution that Ann made and the affection in which she was held, and remember, dare I say, the differences we had. We should engage in our parliamentary democracy and our public life to reflect those values in the way in which we know they should be reflected—mutual respect, honest disagreement and sometimes open discussion. Ultimately, we should recognise that Parliament is there for a purpose—to reflect the will of the people—and our job is to make sure we do that, as Ann would have wanted, in a civilised, humorous but principled manner.