Police have launched a murder investigation after finding former Member of Parliament Ann Widdecombe dead at her home on Dartmoor. She was 78. Officers arrived at her Haytor property on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at around 11:40am, called by the ambulance service. Widdecombe had serious injuries. Police say they believe the person responsible is a white male, but no one has been arrested. The Guardian

Forsensic teams are examining the scene, and the area around her home remains closed off. Police officers are visiting nearby houses to speak with residents and checking security camera footage from the area—standard practice when a crime happens in a rural location where there are fewer witnesses and cameras to help solve the case. Widdecombe's family have been told and are being supported by trained officers. The Guardian

Widdecombe had a long career in politics spanning over 30 years. She was a Conservative MP for the Maidstone area from 1987 to 2010, eventually becoming Shadow Home Secretary—a senior role in the opposition party. She was known as an outspoken and forceful voice in conservative politics. After leaving Parliament in 2010, she continued working in public life, including appearing on the BBC dance show Strictly Come Dancing, which kept her in the public eye. The Guardian

More recently, her political path followed major changes in British conservatism, especially arguments over the European Union. In 2019, she joined Nigel Farage's Brexit Party and became a Member of the European Parliament. When Britain left the EU in 2020, that role ended, but she continued working with Reform UK, the political party that replaced the Brexit Party. The Guardian

Where a crime happens matters for how police investigate it. Dartmoor is mostly open moorland with villages spread far apart. This means fewer people are around to witness things, there are fewer security cameras, and the search area is much larger than it would be in a city. Police are therefore asking residents and visitors to share dashcam or doorbell camera footage that might help.

When police describe a suspect this early in an investigation, they are giving the public basic information to help find leads. Calling the suspect a white male is helpful for that purpose, but police have not yet said whether they think this was a targeted attack, a crime involving someone Widdecombe knew, or violence by a stranger. They have not said if they are searching for a specific person or if they are still gathering information from the scene.

Political figures and party colleagues have not yet released formal statements, though given Widdecombe's long career in Parliament and her recent work with Reform UK, responses and tributes are likely to follow. Police are asking anyone with information—especially dashcam footage from the Haytor area around the time of the emergency call—to contact them as the investigation continues.