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Former Minister Anne Widdecombe, 78, Dies After Reform UK Run

7/10/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Anne Widdecombe, Conservative minister and Reform UK candidate, died at 78 on Friday, and her management requested family privacy.
She was MP for Maidstone from 1987 to 2010.
During John Major’s government she held the prisons and employment ministries.
Widdecombe re-entered politics in 2019 with the Brexit Party, won a European Parliament seat for South West England, and campaigned for Reform UK guided by her Christian values until her death.

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Story summary

Anne Widdecombe, Conservative minister and Reform UK candidate, died at 78 on Friday, and her management requested family privacy.
She was MP for Maidstone from 1987 to 2010.
During John Major’s government she held the prisons and employment ministries.
Widdecombe re-entered politics in 2019 with the Brexit Party, won a European Parliament seat for South West England, and campaigned for Reform UK guided by her Christian values until her death.