Wed 15 Jul 2026 at 5:41amWed 15 Jul 2026 at 5:41amAnn Widdecombe was a well-known figure in British politics, campaigning for Brexit alongside Nigel Farage. (Reuters: Toby Melville)In short:The head of UK counterterrorism policing says investigators are treating the alleged murder of Ann Widdecombe as a targeted attack.Ms Widdecombe was found dead in her home in southern rural England late last week. Police have received warrant to detain and question a 28-year-old man in custody for up to seven days. UK counterterrorism police are treating the alleged murder of former politician Ann Widdecombe as a targeted attack.Ms Widdecombe, 78, was found dead in her home in rural south-west England with what police described as "serious injuries" late last week. Police arrested a 28-year-old white British man from Rotherham, more than 400 kilometres north of Ms Widdecombe's home, at the weekend.Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said police were conducting extensive searches in Rotherham.He said a counterterrorism investigation was running in parallel with a murder investigation. He said the suspected murder had "not been declared a terrorist incident"."This is a murder investigation following a brutal attack on a 78-year-old woman in her own home," Assistant Commissioner Taylor said. Ms Widdecombe was a Conservative member of parliament between 1987 and 2010, and held several junior ministerial positions in former prime minister John Major's government.Later, she joined Nigel Farage's Brexit Party and served as a member of the European Parliament between 2019 and 2020.Her most recent post was as immigration spokesperson for Reform UK, the rebranded Brexit Party.Her death has sparked debate over politicians' safety, and comes after the murder of serving MPs Jo Cox in 2016 and David Amess, a friend of Ms Widdecombe's, in 2021.Police outside the house of former MP Ann Widdecombe in Devon on Friday. (PA via AP Photo: Matt Keeble)Local police have also faced criticism after initially declaring her death had not been politically motivated.Assistant Commissioner Taylor, who leads the counterterrorism force now overseeing the investigation, said his officers were working to determine a motivation. "It is clear that this was a targeted attack," he said."We are still working to understand the extent of any planning or preparation and the motivation that sits behind that attack."It is a complex investigation. It would be wrong for me to try to ascribe either an ideology or what that motivation might be at this stage."The 28-year-old was initially arrested on suspicion of Ms Widdecombe's murder. He has also since been re-arrested on suspicion of commissioning, preparing or instigating acts of terrorism. He remains under arrest, and police have received a warrant that could see him detained and questioned for up to seven days.