Counter-terror officers are now investigating the suspected murder of former minister Ann Widdecombe as “new information and evidence have come to light”, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) South East said.
A murder inquiry was started after Widdecombe was discovered dead at her home on Thursday.
Police believe she was attacked at around 12.30 pm on Wednesday – nearly 24 hours before her body was discovered with “serious injuries”.
CTP said in a statement today: “A 28-year-old white British man from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday 11 July.
“New information and evidence have come to light during what has been a dynamic and complex investigation and as a result, Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) is now leading the investigation.
“The man in custody has since been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.”
The Speaker of the House of Commons has paid tribute to the “courageous” and “principled” former MP and minister Ann Widdecombe, who died last week in “tragic, deeply troubling circumstances”.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle told MPs: “Ann was a formidable politician, a prominent figure in public life. She was a member of Parliament for Maidstone for 27 years, holding a number of ministerial posts in the 90s, and was fierce and enjoyed robust political debate.”
“Whether you agreed with her or not, she was principled, spoke her mind and was true to her beliefs, which were informed by a Christian faith.”
He went on to say that she was a “close friend” of Tory MP Sir David Amess, who was murdered in 2021, and said they were both “animal lovers”.
MPs were urged by the Speaker to refrain from saying anything in the chamber that would jeopardise a criminal prosecution in the future.
Concluding his tribute, Hoyle recalled spending “a lot of time” sharing pizza at a Lambeth restaurant with Widdecombe, describing her as “a friend in many ways”.
“Politically we may not agree, but she was without doubt a courageous, principled politician, and all our thoughts are with her family and her friends.”
Former police officer, Martin Gallagher, explained why counter-terror police are now investigating the death of Ann Widdecombe, with officers having earlier said that terrorism was not suspected as a motive.
He said the police would not have had evidence of such a motive at the outset of the investigation, but following this announcement, Gallagher said: “I would surmise from this that the police have now established evidence of some form of motive which has now brought about the involvement of the counter terrorism police.
“The motive will have been found, obviously, during the searches and such that the police are conducting or through interviews with the suspect.
“So it might not have been immediately apparent.”
He added that he would “refrain from any criticism of the police” because when they find out new information, they act on it, which is “the nature of policing”.
The former top police officer also said that the police were very clear in their original statements that there was no evidence of a terror-related or political motive “at this time”.
Asked how the investigation will now change as counter-terror police take over, Gallagher said there will be a “significant increase in resources”, particularly specialist expertise, as well as a change in command structure and a “whole new prism of information that’s going to need to be provided to the public”.
When counterterrorism intervenes, it can only indicate that the violence they have discovered is not typical, and perhaps if they’ve reclassified it, the motive wasn’t personal. It was operational.
CT police are leading after the death of a former minister? That is no longer a murder investigation. That is an evaluation of the threat, and they don’t hand cases to CT unless the evidence speaks louder than speculation.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 