A 28-year-old man was arrested on Saturday evening in South Yorkshire, England, on the “suspected murder” of former British MP Anne Widecombe, British police said.
“The suspect is a white British national and is currently in police custody,” Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement. “Mr Widecombe’s family has been informed of this development.”
“We were assisted by North East Counter Terrorism Police and South Yorkshire Police, who carried out the arrests on behalf of Devon and Cornwall Police,” the statement continued.
Police said there was no information to suggest Mr Widecombe’s killing was an act of terrorism or politically motivated.
The former MP was found dead at his home in Haytor, Devon, on Thursday. Police said they believe Widecombe died the day before her body was discovered.
Assistant Detective Sergeant Matt Longman said in an earlier statement that she suffered “serious injuries”.
Saturday’s arrest is the second in the investigation into Mr Widecombe’s death. On Friday, police briefly arrested a 26-year-old man before releasing him from custody. The man is “no longer part of the investigation,” police said.
Mr Widecombe, 78, was a former Conservative Party MP, government minister and regular on British television. In 2019, she was elected to the European Parliament as a member of the Brexit Party led by right-wing lawmaker Nigel Farage. After the UK formally left the EU, she served as immigration spokesperson for Reform UK, the successor organization to the Leave Party.
Mr Farage released a statement on Instagram on Friday paying tribute to Mr Widecombe, saying he had “dedicated his life to public service”.
According to British news agency PA Media, Mr Farage traveled to Devon on Saturday to lay flowers to Mr Widecombe.
According to reports in Pennsylvania, pro-reform lawmakers have been given 24-hour security following Widdecombe’s death.
The security costs are paid for by the party and were provided out of fear of similar attacks.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
