WIDDECOMBE MURDER SUSPECT CHARGED OVER FARAGE TERROR PLOT

A man already charged with the murder of Ann Widdecombe has also been charged with preparing acts of terrorism, including an alleged plot against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, Counter Terrorism Policing said. Joshua Kerry, of Byrley Road in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was charged on Friday with one count of preparation of terrorist acts, contrary to section 5(1)(a) of the Terrorism Act 2006, following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service. The charge relates to activity alleged to have taken place between 31 May 2024 and 8 July 2026. Kerry is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday 7 October over the terrorism charge, having been charged with Widdecombe's murder in July.

Widdecombe served as Conservative MP for Maidstone in Kent for 23 years and held ministerial roles in Sir John Major's government during the 1990s. After leaving the Commons, she appeared on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and later became a spokeswoman for Reform UK. She was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon; a court has previously heard she was struck over the head with a hammer 21 times. The terrorism charge against Kerry stems from a separate, continuing counter-terrorism investigation running alongside the murder case.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said the case was "the result of a hugely intensive and complex investigation" involving detectives, analysts and forensic experts working across "multiple lines of enquiry", which had produced "this very serious charge". Frank Ferguson, of the Crown Prosecution Service's Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said prosecutors had "worked closely" with police to bring the charge and would continue to do so as the case progressed. Counter Terrorism Policing said its investigation into the alleged terrorist activity remains ongoing.