LAST FAREWELL: Over 100 mourners gather as former minister Ann Widdecombe is laid to rest following targeted home attack
Family members, close friends, and prominent political figures gathered at Buckfast Abbey in Devon to bid a final farewell to former government minister Ann Widdecombe. The solemn requiem mass was held following her tragic death in a brutal, targeted assault inside her Dartmoor bungalow. Over one hundred mourners dressed in traditional black attended the private ninety-minute Catholic service to pay their respects to the veteran public servant.
Notable political figures in attendance included Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, former justice minister Crispin Blunt, and veteran broadcaster Iain Dale. Ahead of the service, armed counter-terrorism officers and sniffer dogs conducted extensive security sweeps across the abbey grounds, searching surrounding drains and gardens to secure the perimeter. Tributes delivered by her family highlighted her sharp intellect, unwavering Roman Catholic faith, and decades of dedicated public service.
The seventy-eight-year-old former politician was found unresponsive with severe injuries at her residence on July 9, after failing to log on for a scheduled media appearance. An inquest opening confirmed that an employee discovered her body, with the provisional cause of death listed as blunt force trauma to the head. Investigators believe she was targeted in a fierce attack shortly after completing two broadcast interviews the previous morning.
Twenty-eight-year-old Joshua Kerry was subsequently arrested three hundred miles away in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, and charged with her murder. Prosecutors at the Old Bailey described the assault as a planned, targeted hit carried out with extreme ferocity. Counter-terrorism detectives took over the murder investigation from regional police following mounting concerns regarding the political profile of the victim and the nature of the breach.
The murder inquiry has triggered wider security alarms across the British political landscape, prompting police to reopen an investigation into a previous incendiary attack at a property linked to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. Counter-terrorism officers confirmed that a critical line of inquiry had been missed during an initial 2025 burglary probe involving a lit explosive device pushed through a letterbox. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched a formal investigation into police handling of that earlier threat.
Ann Widdecombe served as a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010, holding prominent ministerial portfolios under Sir John Major before becoming a household name on national television. In her later career, she joined the Brexit Party and served as a high-profile spokeswoman for Reform UK. A public national memorial celebrating her life and political legacy is scheduled to take place later this year.
