Brexit-backing, animal-loving Strictly star Ann Widdecombe dies aged 78
BBC News 2026-07-10 10:13:12
Context: Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister and Brexit-backing politician, has died aged 78. She was a well-known figure in British politics, serving as an MP for over 20 years and later becoming a reality TV star on Strictly Come Dancing. Widdecombe was a leading figure on the right of British politics, known for her forthright views and no-nonsense attitude.
Key Facts
- Ann Widdecombe was born in Bath, Somerset, in 1947 and studied Latin at Birmingham University, then Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University, before being elected as a Runnymede District councillor.
- She was first elected as an MP in 1987, representing the Kent constituency of Maidstone for more than 20 years, and held various ministerial roles, including junior social security minister, employment minister, and prisons minister.
- Widdecombe was a member of the Conservative Christian Fellowship and held staunchly socially conservative views, opposing abortion, assisted dying, and gay rights, and supporting the reintroduction of the death penalty.
- She defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK in later life, winning a seat as a Brexit Party MEP for South West England in the 2019 European Parliament election, and later becoming the party's immigration and justice spokesperson.
- Widdecombe was awarded a papal honour, as Dame of the Order of St Gregory, in 2013, for her services to politics and public life, particularly her opposition to abortion and assisted dying.