LONDON (AP) 鈥� British police on Saturday released a 26-year-old man arrested as a suspect in the killing of former politician and reality TV contestant , as they revealed she was attacked in her home a full day before her body was discovered.
Devon and Cornwall Police said the man detained on Friday a few miles from the scene of the attack was no longer under investigation. The force said detectives are working at 鈥渁t a significant pace鈥� to find the killer, and they don’t believe there is a risk to the public.
Widdecombe, 78, was found dead Thursday in her isolated rural home in the village of Haytor on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in southwest England. Police did not disclose a cause of death, saying only that she had sustained 鈥渟erious injuries.鈥�
Police said they believe Widdecombe was attacked at around 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Concerns were raised for her after she failed to appear for a scheduled TV interview on Wednesday afternoon.
The killing is not being investigated as an act of terror and there is no information suggesting it was politically motivated, police said.
Security has been tightened for politicians after the murders of two serving members of Parliament in the past decade. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.
Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party to which Widdecombe belonged, said staff had searched party emails to check for patterns of abuse directed at her, but had not found anything.
Speaking after leaving a wreath of flowers outside Widdecombe鈥檚 home, Farage said 鈥渨e can鈥檛 identify, from our data, any individual” who appeared to be targeting her.
The death sent shock waves through British politics, where Widdecombe had been a prominent voice for decades, known for her robust personality and socially conservative views opposing abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ rights.
She was a lawmaker in the House of Commons as an MP from 1987 to 2010, serving in roles including prisons minister in Prime Minister John Major鈥檚 1990s Conservative government.
Widdecombe found fame after leaving Parliament as a contestant on the reality television shows 鈥淪trictly Come Dancing鈥� and 鈥淐elebrity Big Brother.鈥�
She later joined the Brexit Party, briefly serving as a member of the European Parliament before Britain left the European Union in 2020. Most recently, she joined the anti-immigration Reform UK party, often appearing in the media as a spokesperson.
Friends and colleagues contrasted her pugnacious political statements with her personal kindness and good humor.
Prime Minister called her death 鈥渞eally shocking news,鈥� and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she 鈥渞eally struggled to find the words to say.鈥�
鈥淚t was a nasty, horrific attack and my heart is breaking for her family,鈥� Badenoch said.
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