HAYTOR: A 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murdering former British government minister Ann Widdecombe has been released and is no longer part of the investigation, police said on Saturday.

The man, a white British national, was arrested in Newton Abbot, a town about 9 miles (15 km) from Widd­ecombe’s home in Haytor in rural southwest England, police said on Friday. They have also said that there was no information to suggest the murder of the 78-year-old was related to terrorism or had a political motive.

“Our priority remains identifying those responsible and ensuring that all available evidence is thoroughly examined,” Devon and Cornwall Police Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said in a statement on Saturday, adding that the enquiry was in its early stages but “moving at a significant pace”.

Devon and Cornwall Police Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said officers thought Widdecombe was attacked 24 hours before her body was found.

“We believe the attack took place on Wednesday 8 July at around 12.30pm,” he said in the statement, adding that police were still looking for a white male suspect.

Longman had said on Friday he “had no information to say it was a politically motivated crime” and her death was not being treated as terror-related.

“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,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2026