Story perspectives

Joshua Kerry Charged with Murder of MP Widdecombe, Denied Bail

7/24/2026

Summary

Story summary

Crown Prosecution Service charged Joshua Kerry with murdering MP and Reform UK spokesperson Ann Widdecombe.
Kerry appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 21 July 2026 and was denied bail.
Prosecutors said a hammer blow caused Ann Widdecombe’s death by head trauma.
Police linked Kerry to a car Widdecombe’s home and arrested him on murder and terrorism suspicions.
Counter Terrorism Policing head Laurence Taylor said investigators opened 800 lines of inquiry into terrorist motives.

History

Historical Context

In March 1979, MP Airey Neave was killed by an Irish National Liberation Army car bomb in Palace of Westminster, dying at age 63. His death, two days after vote that ousted James Callaghan and weeks before Margaret Thatcher’s election, led to INLA being outlawed on 2 July 1979 and reforms, a precedent reflected in murder charge against Joshua Kerry for killing MP Ann Widdecombe.

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Story summary

Crown Prosecution Service charged Joshua Kerry with murdering MP and Reform UK spokesperson Ann Widdecombe.
Kerry appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 21 July 2026 and was denied bail.
Prosecutors said a hammer blow caused Ann Widdecombe’s death by head trauma.
Police linked Kerry to a car Widdecombe’s home and arrested him on murder and terrorism suspicions.
Counter Terrorism Policing head Laurence Taylor said investigators opened 800 lines of inquiry into terrorist motives.

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