Police outside the house of former lawmaker Ann Widdecombe, in Haytor, England, Friday July 10, 2026, after she was found dead in her home on Thursday with serious injuries. (Matt Keeble/PA via AP)

2026-07-11T07:32:36Z

LONDON (AP) — British police on Saturday released a 26-year-old man they arrested as a suspect in the killing of Ann Widdecombe, a former British member of Parliament and reality TV contestant.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the man was no longer under investigation. The force said “detectives continue to carry out numerous enquiries as part of the ongoing investigation and we remain committed to establishing the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”

Widdecombe, 78, was found dead Thursday in her isolated rural home on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in southwest England.

The man was arrested Friday in a town a few miles away.

Police later said the killing was not believed to be an act of terror and there was no information to suggest it was politically motivated.

The death sent shock waves through British politics, where Widdicombe had been a prominent conservative voice for decades. She was a lawmaker in the House of Commons as an MP from 1987 to 2010, serving in roles including prisons minister in Prime Minister John Major’s 1990s Conservative government.

Widdecombe found fame after leaving Parliament as a contestant on the reality television shows “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother.”

She later joined the Brexit Party and became a spokeswoman for the anti-immigration Reform UK party.