LONDON — A murder investigation was launched on Friday into the death of Ann Widdecombe, a former member of Parliament who was found dead in her home in southwest England, police said.
The 78-year-old had “sustained serious injuries” when she was found on Thursday in Haytor, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, according to a statement from Devon and Cornwall Police.
The former Conservative lawmaker and prisons minister found fame after leaving Parliament as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing. She later joined the Brexit Party and became a spokeswoman for the anti-immigration Reform UK party.
Police said they were seeking a white male as the suspect.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the circumstances of her death “are extremely distressing.”
