British police investigating murder of former MP Ann Widdecombe

A murder investigation has been launched after the suspicious death of the former MP Ann Widdecombe at her home on Dartmoor, in Devon, UK, police have said, Report informs referring to The Guardian.

Widdecombe's body was found with "serious injuries" by the ambulance service at an address in Haytor, Devon, at 11:40 am local time on Thursday. The police said officers were searching for a "white male" in connection with her death.

The former Conservative minister's next-of-kin had been informed and were being supported by specially trained officers, Devon and Cornwall police said.

Detectives from the Force Major Crime Investigation Team had launched a murder investigation and were conducting extensive inquiries into the circumstances surrounding Widdecombe's death.

Roads were closed around the scene and a cordon was in place at the property while specialist officers continued forensic examinations.

The force said there would be a significant police presence in the area on Friday while detectives and officers conducted house-to-house and CCTV inquiries.

Widdecombe, who appeared on Talk radio on Wednesday, lived in Haytor Vale, a village within the Dartmoor National Park.

She was a Conservative MP from 1987-2010 for the Kent constituency of Maidstone, later Maidstone and the Weald.

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

She was also a member of that party's successor, Reform UK.