London, United Kingdom. British prosecutors said Joshua Kerry, 28, has been charged with murdering former government minister Ann Widdecombe, 78. Police said they were continuing to investigate the motive behind what they believe was a targeted attack.
Charge and court appearance
Widdecombe, a prominent member of Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK, was found at her home in rural southwest England on July 9 with serious injuries, police said.
The Crown Prosecution Service said Kerry, a white British national from northern England, had been charged with her killing. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Tuesday.
Investigation into motive
Police said Widdecombe appeared to have been clearly targeted, although the motive remained under investigation.
“I want to make it very clear that our investigation into this individual, determining his motivations and any wider activity he may have been involved in, is continuing,” Laurence Taylor, head of Britain’s counter terrorism policing, told reporters.
“Given her political profile and the targeted nature of the attack, determining the motivation, including any possible political motivation, remains an active avenue of investigation for our detectives.”
Political career and security concerns
Widdecombe stood down from parliament in 2010. She was known for socially conservative views, serving as a junior minister in Conservative Prime Minister John Major’s government from 1992 to 1997 and later as Reform’s immigration and justice spokesperson.
She converted to Catholicism partly in protest at the Church of England’s ordination of women as priests and opposed abortion and equalising the age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual relationships.
Her death has raised concerns about politicians’ security after two serving British members of parliament were murdered in the past decade.
“I know many have been understandably concerned about their own safety after this horrendous attack, particularly after hearing about the nature of the attack she endured, in her own home,” Taylor said.
