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Former Conservative minister turned Reform UK spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe has died aged 78.<\/b><\/p>\n
“It is with great sadness that today we announce the death of The Right Honourable Ann Widdecombe, DSG,” a statement from her agents, Cloud 9 Management, said.<\/p>\n
“We send our deepest condolences to Ann’s family and friends,” they added.<\/p>\n
Widdecombe’s political career spanned decades, serving as MP for Maidstone in Kent for 23 years, before going on to join Reform UK. <\/p>\n
She also appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and was a runner-up on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.<\/p>\n
Widdecombe served as a Home Office and an employment minister in Sir John Major’s government between 1994 to 1997.<\/p>\n
She was a staunch supporter of the UK’s departure from the EU and between 2019-2020 served as a Brexit Party MEP for South West England in the European Parliament.<\/p>\n
In 2023, Widdecombe joined Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, after the party changed its name from the Brexit Party, and made a number of appearances as Reform’s immigration and justice spokesperson.<\/p>\n
Following news of her death, Nigel Farage credited Widdecombe for playing a “decisive role” in getting Brexit “over the line”.<\/p>\n
“When Ann Widdecombe decided to stand for The Brexit Party in the snap 2019 European Elections, it was a big moment and huge boost. The voters loved her,” he wrote in a post on X, adding she would be “missed by us all”.<\/p>\n
In a statement, her agents said her life and career were “driven by her strong Christian values and commitment to public service”.<\/p>\n
They added that Widdecombe loved the “cut and thrust of political debate” and despite leaving Parliament 16 years ago, was “still actively campaigning for Reform UK”.<\/p>\n
“For many, of course, she will be best (or worst?) remembered for her unforgettable appearances on Strictly Come Dancing, defying the judges week-after-week as the public delighted in her unsuccessful attempts to follow the choreography of the long-suffering Anton Du Beke,” the statement went on to say.<\/p>\n
The former Tory minister became a favourite with viewers when she appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, reaching the semi-finals.<\/p>\n
Speaking on Friday morning, health secretary James Murray said Widdecombe “was never shy of having quite firm views and sharing them quite willingly”.<\/p>\n
“I can’t say I always agreed with her views, but she was such a part of our politics,” the Labour minister told Times Radio, adding “everyone can recognise the contribution that she made to politics” and public life.<\/p>\n
During her parliamentary career, Widdecombe, a staunch Catholic, often sparked controversy due to her socially conservative views, including opposing abortion and comments about the LGBT community.<\/p>\n
In 2019, the former minister received backlash after suggesting science might one day “produce an answer” to being gay.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n