The Ann Widdecombe murder investigation has shocked Britain

Britain is reeling from the suspected killing of another politician.

Ann Widdecombe, former Conservative MP turned Reform spokeswoman, was found dead at her Dartmoor home on Thursday morning. Just now, Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed she had suffered ‘serious injuries’ and that a murder investigation was underway. A suspect has now been arrested in Newton Abbot.

There is much we do not know. A police press conference, delayed by an hour, has established that the suspect is a white British national. But we are none the wiser as to whether he was known to Widdecombe, or if the attack was politically motivated. Assistant chief constable Matt Longman said he remained ‘open-minded’ to the possibility.

Tributes have flowed in for the 78-year-old. Representing Maidstone and the Weald for more than 20 years, Widdecombe was known for her razor-sharp intellect, firebrand conservative speeches and passionate advocacy of Brexit.

While so much remains uncertain, one thing is certain: this is a devastating loss for British public life. Another politician slain. We might not yet know why. But it has already cast a long shadow over another hot weekend.

Hugo Timms is a staff writer at spiked.