Loved ones gather for Ann Widdecombe's funeral as investigations into Rotherham man continue
The private service will allow friends and family to pay their respects to the long-standing British politician
Family, friends and colleagues are gathering to say goodbye to former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe today.
Her funeral service is taking place later at the Catholic abbey where she regularly worshipped.
A requiem mass will be held for the former MP, who later became a Reform UK spokeswoman, at Buckfast Abbey in Devon.
Miss Widdecombe, aged 78, was a frequent worshipper in the Abbey Church.
She died on July 8 after she was hit over the head with a hammer 21 times at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon.
Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was charged with her murder on July 20.
The private requiem mass will include a homily from the Rt Rev David Charlesworth, Abbot of Buckfast.
A statement from the abbey said Miss Widdecombe would be “missed and fondly remembered” and “many in our worshipping community knew her as a kind and warm character”.
“Ann was a woman of profound faith, a faith which found expression in the public forum of politics,” the statement said.
“Ann was unafraid to express her unwavering convictions, formed through her Roman Catholic faith. She had a sharp intellect and was a dedicated public servant.”
A public memorial for Miss Widdecombe will be held later this year.
“Ann was a woman of profound faith, a faith which found expression in the public forum of politics,” the statement said.
“Ann was unafraid to express her unwavering convictions, formed through her Roman Catholic faith. She had a sharp intellect and was a dedicated public servant.”
The order of service for the requiem mass shows tributes will be paid by the Rev Roger Widdecombe, Miss Widdecombe’s nephew, and Sir Christian Sweeting, a close friend.
It states that donations made in memory of Miss Widdecombe will be divided between the Leprosy Mission and Abound, supporting the projects of the Christian Endeavour Hostel (CEH) in India.
Miss Widdecombe was first elected as a Conservative MP in Kent in 1987, was a prisons minister in the 1990s and later became an MEP for the Brexit Party.
At the time of her death she was a spokeswoman on immigration and justice for Reform UK.
She also found fame outside politics on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother.