Opinion: Deeply saddened by the death of Ann Widdecombe

I WAS deeply saddened to hear of the death of politician Ann Widdecombe at her home in Haytor Vale, Devon, on Thursday, July 9.

Sadness turned to shock when it was later announced a murder investigation had been launched after she was found dead with "serious injuries.”

What I found even more distressing was to read later that counter terrorism police had officially taken over leadership of the investigation from Devon and Cornwall Police after "new information and evidence" came to light.

It hit hard for me as I have interviewed Ann twice during my journalism career and she came across as a lovely woman.

But she certainly divided public opinion in her lifetime. To some she was a symbol of intolerance due to her staunch anti-abortion stance, her vote against equalising the age of consent for gay men, her opposition to same-sex marriage, and past controversial comments regarding gay conversion therapy. Ann was seen as a "cartoonish villain,” which stems from her 1996 defence as a prisons minister of the policy keeping pregnant inmates in shackles during medical visits.

To her supporters she was revered as an authentic, courageous figure who stood by her Christian principles regardless of public opinion. They admired her no-nonsense, blunt style.

The first time I interviewed Ann was more than 20 years ago when she came to Newquay as a Conservative MP whilst in opposition. It was at one of the hotels along the Crescent and she was talking about policy and its impact on trade in town centres like Newquay.

Her reputation even back then preceded her. I was expecting to meet a firebrand who felt she was far too important to talk to a local journalist. But when I asked Ann for an interview she so was so friendly and welcoming. She was so generous with her time and spoke passionately about how policy can help local businesses.

The next time I got to interview Ann was when she was a guest speaker at a Brexit Party "We Are Ready" rally hosted by Nigel Farage, which was staged at Carn Brea Leisure Centre in Camborne on October 14, 2019 ahead of the general election.

There was a protest outside, which was partly due to Ann’s hardline, anti-gay voting record.

I’m not sure if she received any verbal abuse as she made her way in but she seemed relaxed when I got to interview her. Her message was that she felt Britain didn’t need a deal just to be able to leave Europe.

She was certainly a woman of strong principles who was never afraid to speak her mind.

Ann always remained true to her beliefs. Although I did not agree with her on every issue, I admired her conviction and courage.

We are all shaped by our upbringing. Ann’s staunchly socially conservative and traditionalist beliefs were rooted primarily in her deeply held Christian faith, her Evangelical upbringing, her strict schooling, and her eventual conversion to Roman Catholicism. How could someone potentially kill a 78-year-old lady for the way she was brought up?

Life is short and we are all here for the ride. It’s just so wrong to end someone’s life prematurely just because of their views. She didn’t deserve that as an ending.