LONDON — Counterterrorism police officers have taken over the murder investigation into the death of former British minister Ann Widdecombe, in a reversal just days after British police had said they had no evidence of a political motive in the case.

Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, said that as a result of “new information and evidence,” specialist counterterrorism officers were “now leading on the investigation into the horrific murder.”

Widdecombe, 78, was found dead at her home in Haytor in Devon, southwest England, on Thursday having sustained serious injuries.

Writing on social media, Mahmood said the police were “pursuing multiple lines of inquiry to establish the motivation for this attack,” and that her thoughts remained with the family and friends of Widdecombe, a long-serving British politician.

Counterterrorism officials said in a statement that a 28-year-old white British man from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who was arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday, had been rearrested “on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.”

Mahmood told lawmakers later Monday that the man being held was not known to Prevent, a government program that aims to stop people from becoming radicalized. According to the government, British political violence typically falls into one of two categories: “extreme right-wing terrorism and Islamist terrorism.”

Monday’s news marks a significant change after Devon and Cornwall Police told reporters Friday that Widdecombe’s death was not being treated as a terrorism case. Police also said at the time that they had no information to suggest a political motive — statements that were repeated over the weekend.

Widdecombe served as a minister in the Conservative government of John Major in the 1990s but more recently became a prominent member of Reform UK, the populist right-wing party led by Nigel Farage, the pro-Brexit campaigner.

Several of his supporters have in recent days questioned the police account of the investigation, particularly after it emerged that the arrested man appeared to have driven around 270 miles from Rotherham to Widdecombe’s home.

Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform, said that those who criticized his party’s skepticism about the police account “must now apologize,” after counterterrorism police took over the investigation.

Zia Yusuf, a senior member of Reform, has accused the British authorities, including the speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, of being unconcerned about the security of Reform UK politicians, saying in a post on social media: “None of the government, the Speaker nor the police care at all.”

On Monday, Hoyle rejected that claim, telling lawmakers that “every member of Parliament” was treated equally and that when security concerns were raised they were passed on to the authorities. “I’m sorry that people don’t think I do that,” he added.

Concerns about the safety of lawmakers have grown over the last decade during which threats against politicians have increased and two legislators have been murdered: Jo Cox, from the Labor Party, in 2016, and David Amess, a Conservative, in 2021. (Cox was killed by a white supremacist and Amess by an Islamic State sympathizer.)

At Westminster, the Parliamentary Security Department has responsibility for the safety of lawmakers and it cooperates with other police forces elsewhere in the country. Every lawmaker has a named contact in their local police force to help deal with security issues.

Speaking in Parliament, Mahmood said: “Today is a dark day in our political life.” She described some comments made about Widdecombe as “deplorable” and said that there would be increased security measures for other Reform UK politicians, including Farage.

Mahmood said she would look into what guidance could be offered to former lawmakers like Widdecombe, who was not a member of Parliament at the time of her death.

—

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Stephen Castle
c. 2026 The New York Times Company