Ann Widdecombe update as funeral service details revealed
Ms Widdecombe was first elected as a Conservative MP in Kent in 1987 (Image: Getty)
Ann Widdecombe’s funeral will be held at an abbey in Devon where the former Tory minister, who later became a Reform UK spokeswoman, was a regular worshipper. It has been revealed that a requiem mass will be held on Wednesday, August 12, at Buckfast Abbey in Devon. The private requiem mass will include a homily from the Rt Rev David Charlesworth, Abbot of Buckfast.
Ms Widdecombe died on July 8 at the age of 78. She was hit over the head with a hammer 21 times at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon. Joshua Kerry, 28, was charged with her murder on July 20.
Article continues below
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time.
A statement from the abbey said Miss Widdecombe would be “missed and fondly remembered” and “many in our worshipping community knew her as a kind and warm character”.
The statement added:“Ann was a woman of profound faith, a faith which found expression in the public forum of politics.
“Ann was unafraid to express her unwavering convictions, formed through her Roman Catholic faith. She had a sharp intellect and was a dedicated public servant.”
Article continues below
Ms Widdecombe’s family said last month in a statement: “We understand that there is significant public interest in the funeral of Ann Widdecombe.
Article continues below
“A private service for family and close friends will be held in the coming weeks, and invitations for this ceremony have been distributed.
“A more public memorial will follow later in the year, the details of which will be released in due course. While we are very grateful for the wide expression of condolences, the family would ask that this initial service is limited to those closest to Ann.”
A public memorial for Miss Widdecombe will be held later this year.
Miss Widdecombe was first elected as a Conservative MP in Kent in 1987, was a prisons minister in the 1990s and later became an MEP for the Brexit Party.
At the time of her death she was a spokeswoman on immigration and justice for Reform UK. She also found fame outside politics on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother.
