Skip to main content

UK counter-terror police lead investigation into suspected murder of former lawmaker Ann Widdecombe

By CNN

London (CNN) — British counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into the suspected murder of former UK lawmaker Ann Widdecombe “following new information and evidence,” UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said on Monday.

Police had previously said there was no information to suggest Widdecombe’s murder was an act of terrorism or politically motivated.

“The police are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry to establish the motivation for this attack,” Mahmood said in an update. She later said the suspect was not previously known to the government program that works to stop individuals at risk of becoming terrorists.

The former lawmaker was found dead at her home in Haytor, Devon, in western England on Thursday. Police say they believe Widdecombe died the day before her body was discovered. She had “sustained serious injuries,” police said in a statement last week.

On Saturday, police arrested a 28-year-old man in South Yorkshire, England – hundreds of miles away – on suspicion of murder.

“The suspect, who is a white British national, is now in police custody,” said the statement from Devon and Cornwall Police, which noted that Counter Terrorism Policing North East and South Yorkshire Police carried out the arrest on their behalf.

Then on Monday, Counter Terrorism Policing said in a statement that “new information and evidence has come to light during what has been a dynamic and complex investigation,” prompting them to take the lead. “The man in custody has since been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism,” the statement added.

Widdecombe, 78, was a former Conservative Member of Parliament, government minister and fixture on British television. In 2019, she was elected to European Parliament as a member of the right-wing Brexit Party, led by Nigel Farage. After the UK formally withdrew from the EU, she served as the immigration spokesperson for the Brexit Party’s successor organization, Reform UK.

Widdecombe was last seen publicly in a televised interview on TalkTV last Wednesday morning. During that TV appearance, she vehemently defended Farage, following his decision to resign from parliament and re-run for his seat in parliament.

Farage released a statement mourning Widdecombe on Friday, saying that she “gave her life to public service.”

Across the political divide, many British politicians offered condolences. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week described her death as a “significant loss” and said it was an important moment to “rise above any political differences.”

In parliament on Monday, the home secretary said she would look at “what security guidance can be provided to former members of parliament,” as well as the security arrangements for those who retain a public profile as a result of their political activities. Mahmood also offered for the government organization that manages security for politicians to meet with Farage, in his capacity as the leader of Reform UK.

Britain’s shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, of the Conservative party, said in parliament that the threat against politicians “is clearly real,” highlighting the cases of two other Members of Parliament who have been killed in recent years – Sir David Amess and Jo Cox.

CNN’s Max Saltman contributed to this report.

This is story has been updated with additional developments.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Kennedy Center board votes to restore Trump’s name on building

The Kennedy Center's board of trustees voted Thursday to add President Trump's name to the facade of the performing arts center, more than two months after a judge ordered its removal, according to a House Democrat who sits on the center's board.  The board — which Mr. Trump filled with his allies — chose to add the phrase "Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump" to the end of the center's formal name, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio and her lawyers said in a statement. Beatty said the board also voted to close the center for two years. Mr. Trump phoned in for part of the virtual board meeting, according to two people familiar with the matter. The vote marks a second attempt to put the president's name on the outside of the building, after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in May that a decision to rename the center after both Kennedy and Mr. Trump violated the federal law that created the organization. Cooper also blocked the center from moving forward with a plan to close until 2028 for renovations, though the cultural institution had said it was still considering a partial or full closure.Cooper issued his order in response to a lawsuit from Beatty. On Thursday, the congresswoman called the latest move "a transparent effort to circumvent the Court's ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed." "Today's vote is more of the same, and a show of blatant disrespect to the courts," two of Beatty's attorneys, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, wrote in the statement. "The court already ruled against the board when it bowed to Trump's demands. Now, the defendants must answer for their actions—again—in court." The proposal to put the president's name on the outside of the building was not on the formal agenda for the meeting and was raised toward the end, a person familiar with the gathering said. Democratic board members, including Beatty, complained that the proposal wasn't presented in writing ahead of a vote, the person said.Mr. Trump spoke toward the end of Thursday's board meeting, telling members he listened to the duration of the more than two-hour session, one person familiar with the meeting told CBS News. The president noted that other D.C.-area renovation projects backed by his administration were not taxpayer-funded, and added at one point that the Kennedy Center garage was "falling apart," the person said.White House spokesperson Liz Huston said: "Under President Trump's bold leadership, the Kennedy Center is on its way to becoming the finest cultural institution anywhere in the world." The White House did not have any immediate comment on the president's participation in the board meeting.CBS News has reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment. Since returning to office last year, the president has sought to put his stamp on the Kennedy Center, replacing board members with longtime supporters who elected him chair of the organization. The changes to the center have drawn backlash from performers and congressional Democrats, leading some artists to cancel their appearances. Then, late last year, the board voted to rename the organization as "The John F. Kennedy and The Donald J. Trump Memorial Center for the Performing Arts," which the center framed as a way of recognizing Mr. Trump's efforts to revamp the center. The president's name was then placed above Kennedy's name on the building's stone facade. Workers erect scaffolding in front of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after a judge ordered President Trump's name be removed, on June 12, 2026. AP Photo/Rahmat Gul The board also voted in March to shut down for two years, arguing the building was in need of sweeping renovations. Beatty sued over the changes, arguing the board doesn't have the authority to temporarily shutter the Kennedy Center or change its name without permission from Congress. Her lawyers noted that the center's name — and its role as a memorial to Kennedy — are enshrined in federal law, and the board is legally required to ensure that "no additional memorials or plaques" are installed on the site. Cooper, an Obama-appointed judge, sided with Beatty in late May, ruling: "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it." He also said the decision to shut down all operations during the center's renovations was based on "an insufficient, one-sided presentation of information," and the board "neglected to consider the full range of its statutory obligations and potential adverse consequences of closure." The metallic letters that spelled out Mr. Trump's name were then removed from the building overnight on June 13, after an appeals court declined to step in at the last minute and allow the name to stay up. Two months later, the scaffolding and tarp that were placed in front of the building to remove the lettering are still up.  Mr. Trump responded to Cooper's ruling by sharply criticizing the judge — arguing he should be impeached — and vowing to cut off his involvement with the Kennedy Center. "So now, the Kennedy Center will collapse, both structurally and financially," the president wrote on Truth Social in May.
Read Next Story

Related Stories

Latest News
Justice Department’s last-minute decision not to defend gun law causes confusion among owners
15 minutes ago

Justice Department’s last-minute decision not to defend gun law causes confusion among owners

Texas has held off a major screwworm outbreak, but ranchers urged to stay alert

Tropical storm forms near Hawaii, hurricane watch issued for the Big Island

Democratic senators demand answers about conditions aboard USS Abraham Lincoln

Muere el exboxeador puertorriqueño Prichard Colón a los 33 años: el recuerdo de la trágica pelea y qué fue de Terrel Williams