Former Reform UK member and MEP, Ann Widdecombe, passed away at the age of 78.
According to The Independent, the former Conservative minister management announced her death early on Friday, July 10, in an emotional post.
Widdecombe’s agents, Cloud 9 Management, said in a statement, “It is with great sadness that today we announce the death of The Right Honourable Ann Widdecombe, DSG. We send our deepest condolences to Ann's family and friends. We ask that the family’s wish not to be contacted at this sad time be respected.”
Widdecombe, who was a minister of state for prisons and employment in John Major’s government, served as an MP for Maidstone in Kent for 23 years, from 1987 to 2010.
She also served as shadow home secretary and health secretary before joining Reform UK and was a prominent Brexit campaigner.
Widdecombe ‘will be best remembered’
Her agents stated Widdecombe’s life and career were "driven by her strong Christian values and commitment to public service", adding she loved the "cut and thrust of political debate" and, despite leaving Parliament 16 years ago, was "still actively campaigning for Reform UK".
"For many, of course, she will be best (or worst?) remembered for her unforgettable appearances on Strictly Come Dancing, defying the judges week-after-week as the public delighted in her unsuccessful attempts to follow the choreography of the long-suffering Anton Du Beke," the statement added.
From UK parliament to ‘Big Brothers’
Widdecombe left the House of Commons in the 2010 election and joined Strictly Come Dancing with her dance partner Anton Du Beke.
She later went on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018 and came in second place.
Next year, she returned to politics in 2019 with the Brexit Party, which was later named Reform UK, and won a South West England seat in the European Parliament election.
Widdecombe held the seat until the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020, before becoming Reform UK’s immigration and justice spokesperson from 2023 to 2026.
