Police are investigating the death of the 78-year-old , who was a former Conservative MP, Brexit Party MEP, and prisons minister. 

Ms Widdecombe was found dead at a property in Haytor, near Newton Abbott, on Thursday, July 9.

What we know so far about Ann Widdecombe’s suspected murder

How did Ann Widdecombe die?

Ms Widdecombe was found dead with serious injuries at a property in Haytor.

Police were called to the scene at 11.40am on Thursday (July 9) and launched a murder investigation.

Who has been arrested?

A 26-year-old British man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Friday (July 10) at an address in Newton Abbot.

What details have been shared about the suspect?

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman confirmed that the suspect is a 26-year-old white British male and said the incident is not being treated as terrorism.

He said there is no indication that the crime was politically motivated.

How are police investigating?

A cordon remains in place at the property in Haytor.

A cordon remains in place around Ann Widdecombe’s home in Haytor. (Image: Matt Keeble/PA Wire)

Forensic examinations are underway, and officers are carrying out house-to-house inquiries and reviewing CCTV footage.

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman, at a press conference on Friday, explained: “Detectives from the force major crime investigation team have launched a murder investigation, and are conducting extensive inquiries into the circumstances surrounding Ms Widdecombe’s death.

“While we work closely with our partners and consulted counter-terrorism policing as part of our initial inquiries, the incident is not being treated as terrorism.

“A cordon remains in place at the property, while specialist officers continue forensic examinations.

“There are road closures in place around the scene, and the public will see significant police activity in the area while detectives and other officers continue house-to-house and CCTV inquiries.

“This is an extremely tragic incident. Our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of Miss Widdecombe in this very difficult time.”

What have national leaders said?

The murder investigation has drawn responses from senior politicians.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the news “really shocking,” while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she was “stunned” by the events.

The whole country will be utterly shocked by the awful news about the circumstances of Ann Widdecombe’s death.

Today we come together across the political divide and I pay tribute to Ann’s dedication during her many years of public service.

My thoughts and deepest condolences… pic.twitter.com/hXps6A9s78

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— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 10, 2026

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described Ms Widdecombe’s death as “extremely distressing” and urged the public not to speculate as the investigation continues.

What support is in place for the public?

Devon and Cornwall Police have established a Major Incident Public Portal for anyone with information, images, or footage related to the case.

Members of the public can also contact police by calling 101 or through the Devon and Cornwall Police website, quoting reference 50260179119 and Operation Hunlen.

Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

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What happens next?

Police remain at the scene and the investigation is ongoing.

Officers are appealing for further information from the public as they work to establish the full circumstances surrounding Ms Widdecombe’s death.

A statement from Devon and Cornwall Police reads: “This is an extremely tragic incident.

“Our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of Miss Widdecombe in this very difficult time.”

England captain Harry Kane has described playing golf with US President Donald Trump in Palm Beach as a “pretty surreal” experience, ahead of England’s World Cup 2026 quarter-final against Norway

England captain Harry Kane has described his round of golf with United States President Donald Trump as a “pretty surreal experience”.

Earlier this week, Trump revealed that he had previously played golf with Kane, telling reporters: “I think Kane is a great player. I played golf with him and I like him a lot. He’s a good golfer too. He’s really great.”

Kane disclosed that the encounter took place 18 months ago in Florida, and expressed admiration for Trump’s golfing ability at the age of 80.

“I played alright to be honest, but 18 months ago he invited me to play when I was down in Palm Beach,” the 32 year old said ahead of England’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway on Saturday.

“So when the President invites you somewhere, it was a pretty surreal experience just to meet him and obviously play golf with him.”

“His golf is pretty good, to be honest with you. I hope I can play golf as good as him when I’m his age, that’s for sure.

“A unique experience, but I was just grateful that he invited me to play.”

The comments come as England prepare to face Norway this Saturday in Miami in the World Cup quarter-final.

Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel has warned that his side will “need to be brave” if they are to keep Erling Haaland at bay and book their place in the semi-finals. Having started the knockout stage with a scare against the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tuchel describes the thrilling 3-2 victory over Mexico as the “full package of an experience” but insists that grinding out results through adversity is now behind them as England focus on Saturday’s encounter with Norway.

Scorching temperatures, oppressive humidity and the small matter of keeping Erling Haaland quiet represent the challenges facing the side in Miami, where the German boss demands his players elevate their performance levels once more.

“I think in general what it takes in the round of 32 and the round of 16, how we framed it with the team was it’s just you find a way to win,” Tuchel said ahead of the Hard Rock Stadium clash.

“If you need a picture from the Premier League, it is January. It’s Sunderland, FA Cup. It’s away in Sunderland, it’s away in Leeds.

“You go. It’s adversity. It’s not good weather. You don’t like the decisions of the referee. Everything feels bad. They are on the front foot.

“You just need to get it done. If you want to be at Wembley in the end, you just need to get it done.

“Don’t go out in January, don’t go out in February. No one will ask you any more how you did it. And then comes the exciting times.

“Then comes April, then comes May, things can become easier and then you have your identity and you have to let go.

“This is now for me the exciting part, but we need to let go, we need to now connect to our identity, connect to what makes us strong, be on the front foot and be brave. We need to be brave now.

“It’s quarter-finals and the brave will have the luck on their side. And we cannot have any regrets when we play a quarter final. We have to go for it, this is the most important thing.”

Margaret Qualley is firing back at wild rumors that she cheated on husband Jack Antonoff in wake of the couple’s shock split.

On Friday, a representative for Qualley called the ‘narratives running in the press’ about the couple ‘categorically untrue,’ as per a statement obtained by TMZ.

‘There are no trust issues. There was no infidelity or anything outside of respect and partnership in this relationship.

‘There are only two people in this marriage, and the sources who are talking to the press and commenting on their relationship are not people who know them. Please respect their privacy,’ the statement concluded.

Breakup rumors began to spread after Antonoff attended Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s July 3 wedding without Qualley, even though Swift had attended their wedding three years prior.

Instead, Antonoff notably brought his fashion designer sister, Rachel, as his plus one to Swift and Kelce’s MSG nuptials.

Then came a report in People that Qualley and Antonoff now had a ‘rocky’ relationship and were no longer living together, while a second source said the pair are ‘figuring things out.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for comment.

On Friday, a representative for Qualley called the ‘narratives running in the press’ about the couple ‘categorically untrue,’ as per a statement obtained by TMZ; the exes seen in 2022 

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Eagle-eyed fans also noticed that Qualley, who is filming the remake Possession this summer, deleted her social media wedding photos with Antonoff.

Qualley and Antonoff were last seen together in public at the Grammys in February this year. They seemed happy and in love at the time, as seen in photos posted from the celebration on Instagram and X, both of which have since been taken down.

Her most recent social media activity involving her husband was wishing him a happy birthday on her Instagram Story (which expires 24 hours after being posted) on March 31.

The image featured the musician with his arm around her as she captioned it: ‘Happy birthday sweetheart.’

On April 28, Qualley changed her Instagram username from @isimostar to @sarahmargaretqualley23.

Antonoff has a 2024 song titled Isimo with his band Bleachers, so it’s difficult not to put two and two together.

Qualley’s absence from the wedding of the year came 11 months after she gave an awkward response to being asked why her husband was not producing one of Swift’s albums.

The actress appeared caught off guard when Today co-host Craig Melvin mentioned The Life of a Showgirl in their sit-down.

Qualley and Antonoff were last seen together in public at the Grammys in February this year

Breakup rumors began to spread after Antonoff attended Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s July 3 wedding without Qualley, even though Swift had attended their wedding three years prior; seen in 2025 

They reportedly had a ‘rocky’ relationship and were no longer living together; seen in 2025

After noting that Antonoff has ‘produced for Taylor for years’ and has ‘an album that’s coming out,’ the journalist asked Qualley to ‘tell us about’ the record.

‘I don’t know anything,’ she replied as her eyes widened in surprise.

Qualley proceeded to let out an awkward laugh before adding, ‘I’ll be excited to listen to the music.’

Melvin responded with a pointed, ‘OK. Alright,’ signaling he wasn’t entirely convinced she was as out of the loop as she claimed.

Antonoff has served as Swift’s primary co-songwriter and producer on her most recent albums, 2022’s Midnights and 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department.

Her latest record, however, was produced by Max Martin and Shellback.

Swift fans famously swarmed Qualley and Antonoff’s wedding rehearsal dinner in 2023.

The couple were engaged the year prior after being romantically linked in 2021.

The former couple was first romantically linked back in August 2021; seen in 2023

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They married at Parker’s Garage in Long Beach, New Jersey, with guests including Swift, model Cara Delevingne and Lana Del Rey in attendance.

The daughter of actress Andie MacDowell was the epitome of elegance in a white, halter-styled wedding gown with a plunging neckline.

The former couple was first romantically linked back in August 2021, and later attended the Critics’ Choice Awards together in March 2022, seemingly publicly confirming their budding relationship.

Martha Lillard had just turned 5 when she was diagnosed with polio and depended on an iron lung to live. She died last month in Oklahoma, the last U.S. polio patient who used the machine, her sister said. She was 78.

“They told her she wasn’t supposed to live past 20 years old,” Lillard’s younger sister, Cindy McVey, told The Associated Press on Friday. “She had the enthusiasm and the drive to continue living and make the best of her life.”

While McVey doesn’t know the official cause of death, she attributes it to the effects of long-haul COVID-19. Lillard died on June 26.

Lillard slept in the iron lung cylinder that encased her body as the air pressure in the chamber forced air in and out of her lungs. As a child, she went to grade school for two hours a day and was tutored the rest of the time. She attended Shawnee High School by using a phone system that allowed her to interact with her teachers and classmates through an intercom in her classrooms.

Her family went on road trips to Missouri thanks to a custom trailer and her father calling hotels to find out if they had doors wide enough to accommodate the machine Lillard slept in. Lillard was even able to drive for a time.

“To me, it was just normal,” recalled McVey, 75.

Polio was once one of the nation’s most feared diseases, with annual outbreaks causing thousands of cases of paralysis. The disease primarily affects children.

Vaccines became available starting in 1955. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a national vaccination campaign cut the annual number of U.S. cases to fewer than 100 in the 1960s and fewer than 10 in the 1970s. In 1979, polio was declared eliminated in the U.S., meaning it was no longer routinely spread.

Later, the internet would help Lillard stay informed and learn about all sorts of topics, including her disease, which led to paralysis of her right arm. She could only move her left arm side-to-side at her waist. Even though she couldn’t reach up, she spent many years living alone and preparing her own meals.

The internet also allowed Lillard to meet her future husband. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Lillard wanted to understand more about what happened. In a chat room, she met a man in Egypt and communicated with him online for more than 20 years, McVey said.

Lillard married Baha Salh in February after he was finally able to obtain a visa to travel to Oklahoma.

The summer holiday season is here and some people may need more help

Aberdeen Airport has issued a message on its website to travellers set to jet off on holiday.

Talking about hidden disabilities, Aberdeen Airport explains that it understands the stress flying and travelling can cause. It urges people to request assistance and notes that its teams are trained to help those with hidden disabilities.

It states that early notification is encouraged so they can be fully prepared to provide the appropriate assistance. You should first request assistance through your airline or travel agent and ensure your booking is marked as DPNA assistance when asked what type of help you require.

“You should also ask the airline or travel agent to add a comment describing the assistance required. This will enable us to better understand how we can help”, it adds.

Lanyards

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Passengers with a hidden disability can request a Sunflower lanyard or card, which discreetly alerts airport staff that additional support may be needed. These can be requested at the airport.

It explains: “If you or someone you are travelling with has a hidden disability, we will be happy to provide you with a Sunflower lanyard (and/or card) which will discreetly identify you to airport staff as requiring additional support.

“Our front line teams, including our Security Officers, have been trained to recognise these lanyards and cards and offer assistance where required. A Sunflower lanyard/card can be requested in advance by contacting the Duty Manager team at abzadm@aiairport.com or at the airport itself from the Assistance desk.”

You can contact prmaberdeen@abm.com via email to get in touch with the assistance provider at Aberdeen International Airport in advance of your date of travel.

It says that it can provide support to people with hidden disabilities, including:

• Autism
• Dementia
• Hearing Loss
• Learning Disabilities
• Mental Health impairments, anxiety issues etc.

It adds: “We are working in partnership with the relevant local and national organisations to ensure that the service we provide is both appropriate and beneficial.”

What is a Sunflower lanyard?

According to Hidden Disabilities: “The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a simple tool for you to voluntarily share that you have a disability or condition that may not be immediately apparent – and that you may need a helping hand, understanding, or more time in shops, at work, on transport, or in public spaces.”

Keen to show that not all disabilities are visible, it stresses that one in six people around the world live with a disability. This means approximately 1.3 billion people are affected.

It adds: “While some of us experience a disability that is visible, many have a non-apparent condition or experience a combination of both visible and non-apparent conditions. These disabilities can be temporary, situational or permanent.

“They can be neurological, cognitive and neurodevelopmental as well as physical, visual, auditory and include sensory and processing difficulties. They can also be respiratory as well as chronic health conditions, such as arthritis and diabetes, chronic pain and sleep disorders.”

Since its launch in 2016, organisations across a wide range of sectors have joined the global Sunflower network, including retail, travel and tourism, and transport.

This includes more than 300 airports, as well as rail networks, coach and bus services, and ferry operators. It also spans education providers (universities, schools and colleges), healthcare services, central and local government bodies, football clubs, theme parks, theatres, and financial institutions.

The Sunflower has now been launched locally in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Latin America, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK, the UAE and the USA. Find out where it is known near you using our Sunflower map.

The motion, submitted by Conservative Councillor Richard Bell ahead of next week’s Durham County Council meeting, condemns the government’s energy policy and calls for councils to have the final say over large-scale developments. 

Cllr Bell, ward member for Upper Teesdale, also criticised the government’s approach to net zero, arguing it has contributed to rising electricity costs and encouraged what it describes as “inappropriate” renewable energy developments in County Durham.

If approved, the council would write to the county’s MPs and the Secretary of State, urging changes to national planning and energy policy.

Cllr Bell’s motion states that while the authority supports “appropriate renewable energy”, it believes government policy has resulted in “amongst the most expensive electricity in the developed world” and an “incompetent drive to Net Zero”.

It argues that current policy has led to large-scale solar farm and wind farm applications that have “industrialised” greenfield sites across the county.

The motion also criticises arrangements under which some renewable energy operators are compensated when electricity cannot be transmitted because of constraints on the National Grid.

The motion reads: “Government energy policy has given us amongst the most expensive electricity in the developed world, and the incompetent drive to Net Zero has resulted in inappropriate large-scale solar farm and wind farm applications and developments in County Durham. 

“While Durham County Council supports appropriate renewable energy, this council deplores Labour’s wrong-headed and incompetent leadership in energy.”

Councillors are instead being asked to back four key demands to the government.

These include amending the National Planning Policy Framework so Durham County Council becomes the determining authority for solar farm and wind farm applications, rather than decisions being made by ministers in some nationally significant cases.

The motion further urges ministers to prioritise renewable energy developments on offshore wind projects, homes, commercial and industrial buildings, and brownfield land, while ending approvals for schemes on greenfield sites.

Ann Widdecombe adopted a tough, no-nonsense attitude to her own safety during her political career, telling how she would even ‘bin’ death threats from the IRA.

The former Tory minister, known for opposing abortion and gay rights, was a regular target for left-wing campaigners and activists, who disagreed with her forthright, socially conservative views.

But the 78-year-old Brexiteer and devout Catholic refused to be cowed by terrorists – even after the murder of fellow MP and ‘best friend in Parliament,’ Sir David Amess.

Asked in an interview last October whether she ever feared being physically attacked because of her beliefs and high profile, Ms Widdecombe said defiantly: ‘No.’

‘I took a very robust attitude,’ she said. ‘In my day, it was the IRA and I suppose I had a slightly faithless attitude.

‘I remember I used to get death threats from time to time. We all did, and my staff would say, “Shall we tell the police?”

‘I’d say, “Put it in the bin,” because if the IRA are going to do it, they’re not going to tell you in advance, they’re just going to do it. As they did with Airey Neave [assassinated in a 1979 car bomb].

‘I still take that attitude. I do know that we’re in a slightly different world but I think it’s crucial that MPs and their constituents intermingle freely.’

Widdecombe’s ‘best friend in Parliament’, Tory MP Sir David Amess (pictured), was murdered at a constituency surgery session in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex in 2021 by an Islamic State fanatic 

She said Sir David, 69, who was stabbed to death by Islamic State fanatic Ali Harbi Ali while holding a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, in October 2021, agreed with her.

‘I knew him terribly well, and his family, of course,’ she added. ‘I know, and I said this to his widow, who agreed with me, that he would never want his death used as a reason to distance MPs from their constituents.

‘His belief, and it is still my belief, that an MP should be able to walk through the town on a Saturday afternoon, talk to their constituents.

‘I feel very strongly about that.’

Ms Widdecombe was known for opposing the legality of abortion, issues surrounding LGBT+ rights and for supporting the reintroduction of the death penalty.

Her ‘Passion for Life’ tour, in 2008, during which she spoke against amendments to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which reduced barriers for same-sex couples to be recognised on a birth certificate, saw her regularly heckled by protestors who staged demonstrations against her pro-life views.

During her political career, she did not once vote in favour of gay rights – opposing significant acts of legislation like civil partnerships, repealing Section 28, the Equality Act, reducing the age of consent for homosexual sex, and gay couples adopting.

The former Tory minister, known for opposing abortion and gay rights, was a regular target for left-wing campaigners and activists (pictured in 2020)

In April 2018 she also attacked Prince Harry and his wife Meghan for saying they want to prioritise LGBT+ rights.

The one-time Strictly contestant was never physically attacked for her beliefs, although in April 2000, while shadow home secretary, she was hit in the face with a custard pie during a book signing.

The pie-ing, by a protestor opposed to the Conservatives’ hard line on immigration, however, left her unfazed.

After wiping the custard off her face in a toilet, Ms Widdecombe carried on with the event, saying: ‘This demonstration was a mindless waste of police time carried out by people who clearly have no respect for free speech.’

Critics are attacking the Trump administration for a deal to let the United Arab Emirates access cutting-edge U.S. technology, accusing the White House of offering the country preferential treatment because a U.A.E. royal invested millions in a Trump family cryptocurrency company last year.

The Commerce Department announced on Friday that it will allow the U.S. ally license-free access to crucial technology such as AI chips. That status will extend to U.A.E. companies such as G42, which is chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser.

Four days before President Trump’s inauguration, another Tahnoon-backed company reportedly spent $500 million to buy what was initially a secret 49 percent stake in World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s fledgling crypto firm. The deal reportedly sent an immediate $187 million to Trump entities and helped fuel the family’s crypto empire.

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren called the change in Commerce Department export controls a “corrupt deal” in a statement on Friday.

“[Commerce] Secretary Howard Lutnick and Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler need to testify in front of the Committee to explain this corrupt deal and how it could put our national security at risk,” she wrote. “And Congress should not pass any crypto legislation that does not stop the President and his family from continuing to profit off of crypto.”

The Independent has contacted the White House, Commerce Department, UAE embassy in Washington and G42 for comment.

In its announcement, the Commerce Department said the deal was in part based on the “UAE’s status as a U.S. Major Defense Partner and its support in advancing U.S. national security interests,” including assistance during the Iran war.

Others argued the deal will harm U.S. companies and could open the door to China accessing sensitive American technologies, given G42’s past work with Chinese tech giant Huawei.

“This is a HUGE deal, poses massive national security risks, will slow the US AI buildout, and will cause the largest data centers in the world to be built in the UAE instead of the US,” Chris McGuire, a former Biden administration official overseeing tech policy, wrote on X.

Others saw positives in the expanding U.S. and UAE collaboration on AI, arguing that it’s preferable that U.S. firms and allies lead the way instead of China in building the large-scale data centers required to develop AI models.

“As things stand, the United States does not have the political will, grid capacity, or streamlined interconnection queues necessary to install all of the compute we need to cheaply offer AI services to global publics,” American Enterprise Institute fellow Ryan Fedasiuk wrote on X. “I wish we did, but we don’t. We will need to lean on international partners to share in the burden of the global AI build-out.”

The Commerce Department said Friday’s announcement was consistent with the terms of the export deal between U.S. and the UAE that was finalized in May of last year.

A G42 employee held a job at World Liberty while that 2025 deal was being negotiated, The New York Times reported. All sides have denied any conflict of interest was involved in the dealmaking.

President Trump has continued to face scrutiny over his ties to Tahnoon, especially after recent financial disclosures showed the Republican made more than $1 billion personally last year from the Trump family’s crypto companies.

Part of that windfall came from MGX, another company chaired by Tahnoon, which used $2 billion in a World Liberty coin in an investment into Binance, a crypto company whose founder Trump pardoned last year. MGX is also among the new owners of the U.S. operations of TikTok, after the Trump administration leaned on the social platform to spin off an American division.

In 2022, U.S. intelligence agencies obtained information that the U.A.E. transferred technology to Huawei via G42 that ultimately enabled China to extend the range of its air-to-air missiles, the Financial Times reported. G42 called the reporting “false and defamatory” at the time.

G42 reportedly cut ties with Huawei as part of a 2024 investment deal from Microsoft.