Former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe has died aged 78, her management has said. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
Widdecombe, who served as an MP and an MEP during a lengthy and often controversial political career, gained notoriety as a television personality in later life. Besides the Tories, she was also a member of the Brexit party and its successor, Reform UK.
Her representatives, Cloud9 Management, said on Friday: "She loved the cut and thrust of political debate and, 16 years after leaving parliament, was still actively campaigning for Reform UK and offering forthright views on the hot topics of the day across numerous radio and television programmes.
"Ann was a valued patron of many causes, particularly her animal charities. As Ann once said on The Graham Norton Show, 'We get one go this side of eternity, one go. Life is not a dress rehearsal, you take opportunities that you like and you go for it, that's my philosophy.'"
Widdecombe held ministerial positions in John Major's government, where she clashed with her Conservative colleague Michael Howard – with whom she had served in the Home Office – describing him as having "something of the night about him".
She also clashed with Michael Portillo and those she called the "backbiters" who surrounded him when he failed in his bid to become Tory leader in 2001. Widdecombe said she would never have served under him if he had become leader.
Throughout her political career, Widdecombe was a prominent Eurosceptic and supported the Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum. She was known for her socially conservative views, which included opposing the legality of abortion and wider rights for the LGBTQ+ community during her Commons career. She also faced criticism for defending a policy of chaining pregnant prisoners to their beds.
Her management portrayed her political views as the result of what she saw as "strong Christian values and commitment to public service".
Widdecombe was a Conservative MP between 1987 and 2010 for the Kent constituency of Maidstone, later Maidstone and the Weald. She became a member of the Brexit party from 2019 and served as an MEP representing South West England between 2019 and 2020.
When Nigel Farage transitioned the party into Reform UK, Widdecombe followed, appearing at its conference the next year as its immigration spokesperson.
Paying tribute to her, Farage described her as "a force of nature". He told TalkTV: "She never let anyone … with any doubt in their minds at all where she stood on all the great issues of the day, and she was formidable too. I mean, I can tell you, the times when I used to get a phone call from Ann, abrupt Ann on the phone, saying she disagreed with what I'd done or what I'd said.
"She'd come to London and we'd sit down over a coffee and talk things through. But that was the thing about Ann: that all the disagreements she had with us over policy and direction and all the normal debate, that was always kept behind closed doors. In public, she was the most incredibly loyal ally."
The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, also paid tribute, calling Widdecombe a "formidable politician" who was "always true to herself".
The health secretary, James Murray, said Widdecombe was "never shy of having quite firm views" and everyone "can recognise the contribution that she made to politics".
He told Times Radio on Friday: "I think she's been such a large part of our politics for many years. I mean, she was never shy of having quite firm views and sharing them quite willingly, and I can't say I always agreed with her views, but she was such a part of our politics. I think everyone can kind of recognise the contribution that she made to politics and the role that she played in our public life."
In her post-Commons career, Widdecombe appeared on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, partnered with Anton Du Beke, and managed to reach the competition's quarter-final thanks to the public vote.
Her management company's statement said: "For many, of course, she will be best (or worst?) remembered for her unforgettable appearances on Strictly Come Dancing, defying the judges week after week as the public delighted in her unsuccessful attempts to follow the choreography of the longsuffering Anton Du Beke.
"A consummate professional and a delight to work with, indefatigable to the last, we know this news will come as a great shock to the many colleagues and friends she made along the way and our sympathies go to them and her family."
Widdecombe said she had no interest in sex, and never married.