Widdecombe was a Conservative MP for Maidstone from 1987 until 2010, and later joined the Brexit Party in 2019. After the party was renamed Reform UK, she served as its Immigration and Justice spokesperson from 2023 until earlier this year.
A statement from her management said: “It is with great sadness that today we announce the death of the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe, DSG. “We send our deepest condolences to Ann’s family and friends. We ask that the family’s wish not to be contacted at this sad time is respected.”
Widdecombe was first elected to Parliament under Margaret Thatcher’s 1987 election victory, but rose the ranks of government under her successor, John Major. She was the prisons minister until the Tories lost to Tony Blair ’s New Labour landslide in 1997.
After failing to become Conservative leader in 2001, she stayed in the public eye with prominent TV appearances. They included a Louis Theroux special in 2002 and a memorable run on BBC ’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, when she partnered with Anton Du Beke to survive nine weeks of competition.
