Ann Widdecombe, former Tory MP and Reform UK member, dies aged 78

Ann Widdecombe, the former MP and MEP who also featured on Strictly Come Dancing, has died aged 78.

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.”

Ms Widdecombe was a Conservative MP between 1987 and 2010 for the Kent constituency of Maidstone, later Maidstone and the Weald, and held several ministerial positions in Sir John Major’s government.

She famously clashed with her Conservative colleague Michael Howard, when she was a Home Office minister and he home secretary, describing him as having “something of the night about him”.

Ms Widdecombe also faced flak for defending a policy of chaining pregnant prisoners to their beds.

In her post-Commons career she appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 partnered with Anton du Beke, and survived until the competition’s semi-finals thanks to the public vote.

Throughout her political career, Ms Widdecombe was a prominent Eurosceptic and supported the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 Brexit referendum.

She became a member of the Brexit Party from 2019 and served as an MEP representing South West England in Brussels between 2019 and 2020.

Ms Widdecombe joined Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in 2023, the successor to the Brexit Party, and made an appearance at its party conference the following year as Reform’s immigration spokesperson.

She was also known for her socially conservative views, which included opposing the legality of abortion and widening rights for the LGBT community during her Commons career.

Published: 10/07/2026 by Radio NewsHub