Here’s the latest on the death of former MP & MEP, Ann Widdecombe who was murdered at age 78 In her home. located near dorset.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has offered Nigel Farage a meeting with the government body responsible for MPs’ security following the murder of former Conservative MP and Reform UK spokesperson Ann Widdecombe.
Delivering a statement to the House of Commons after counter-terror police took over the investigation, Mahmood also said the government would examine what security guidance could be provided to former MPs.
The move came after Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, claimed on social media that “none of the government, the speaker nor the police care at all about the security of Reform MPs.”
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle firmly rejected the accusation, telling MPs that the security of every parliamentarian is treated equally.
“There is no difference between any member or issue when things are brought to my attention,” he said.
“Because we don’t discuss security. I don’t put out what is happening, what has been done. But I reassure everybody that when it is mentioned to me, it is passed on to the security people to deal with.”
Mahmood confirmed that the 28-year-old man arrested on suspicion of Widdecombe’s murder was not previously known to the government’s Prevent programme, which aims to stop people at risk of becoming terrorists. The suspect, initially arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday, was later rearrested on suspicion of terrorism offences after the investigation was taken over by counter-terrorism police.
During the statement, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the attack highlighted the continuing dangers faced by politicians.
“The threat is clearly real,” he told the Commons.
“In the last ten years, two MPs, Jo Cox and Sir David Amess, have been murdered, and now a former MP has been murdered as well.”
Philp also referenced the 2017 Westminster terror attack, in which PC Keith Palmer was killed, and urged the home secretary to share any information that would not prejudice the ongoing investigation.
Mahmood replied that further details would be released “as soon as more information is available that is capable of being shared without compromising any future trial process”.
Earlier in the day, Sir Lindsay Hoyle led tributes to Widdecombe, describing the former minister as a “courageous” and “principled” politician who served as the MP for Maidstone for 27 years.
“Whether you agreed with her or not, she was principled, spoke her mind and was true to her beliefs,” he said, adding that the Commons should avoid saying anything that could prejudice any future criminal proceedings.
Diane Abbott has warned that threats against MPs have become “much, much worse” due to the rise of online activity.
The independent MP told the Commons she had once received “as many threats and abuse and threats of violence as all the other women MPs put together”, adding that online platforms must be held more accountable.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood praised Abbott’s “personal bravery” as Abbott has continued to serve as an MP in the face of these threats, and says she wants to assure her that the government is working to make sure “security arrangements are able to keep pace” with the “changing nature of threats” faced by MPs.
The investigation into Widdecombe’s death is now being led by counter-terrorism policing while inquiries continue.
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice paid tribute to Ann Widdecombe in the House of Commons, describing the former MP as “a colossus” in British public and political life.
Tice praised Widdecombe’s “incredible work ethic”, saying she believed life was “not a dress rehearsal” but one in which “you grasp every opportunity”.
He noted that she made more than 8,000 contributions in the House of Commons during her 23 years as an MP and described her as a “most deserving” Strictly Come Dancing semi-finalist.
Tice also praised her “conviction, her passion and her advocacy for free speech”, adding that whenever Widdecombe called him, he “always stood up on my toes”.
