LAMAMIMET

Ann Noreen Widdecombe was a British politician and media personality renowned for her long tenure as a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. Representing first the Maidstone constituency and later Maidstone and The Weald, she held several ministerial positions, most notably serving as Minister of State for Prisons from 1995 to 1997. Known for her socially conservative views, she was a staunch opponent of abortion rights, same-sex marriage, and assisted dying, and was a vocal advocate for traditional values and animal welfare. After stepping down from Parliament in 2010, Widdecombe remained in the public eye through numerous television and radio appearances. She gained popularity as a contestant on the eighth series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and later appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018. Politically, she was a prominent Eurosceptic, initially supporting the Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum. She returned to politics as a lead candidate for the Brexit Party in the 2019 European elections and later joined Reform UK in 2023 as the party's Immigration and Justice spokesperson. Widdecombe was also a published author, writing both fiction and non-fiction, and contributed a weekly column to the Daily Express. Her strong Christian faith and forthright public persona made her a distinctive figure in British public life until her death in July 2026.