A 26-year-old man has been arrested for murdering a former British politician who was found dead in his home

A homicide investigation was launched on Friday into the death of Ann Widdecombe, a former MP who was found dead at her home in south-west England, police said. The suspect was arrested on Friday afternoon.

The 78-year-old former Conservative MP and prisons minister “suffered serious injuries” when he was found on Thursday in Haytor, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, according to a statement from Devon and Cornwall Police.

Police said they were previously looking for a white male suspect, whom UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as “clearly dangerous,” according to our CBS News affiliate.

The BBC reported that the man, 26, was arrested on Friday afternoon. The suspect was described by the police as a British national. Police said it was too early to say whether the suspect knew Widdecombe. The cause of the attack was not yet known.

When asked if there was any evidence that Widdecombe’s death was politically motivated, Starmer said he would not speculate on the case, according to the BBC. Starmer, who? he recently resigned as prime minister and hold office until elections are heldhe said the British people should “overcome any political differences,” and said he had spoken to senior officials to “encourage everyone to come together.”

Widdecombe served in the House of Commons as an MP from 1987 to 2010 and was known for his socially conservative views against abortion rights and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.

He gained fame after leaving Parliament as a contestant on the television shows “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother”. Widdecombe’s “Strictly Come Dancing” partner Anton Du Beke called her death “very sad news” on social media and said he was devastated by the news.

Widdecombe later joined the Brexit party and became a spokesman for the anti-immigration group Reform UK. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson he called her “a heroic Brexiteer and such a great orator who could move a Tory audience into such a frenzy that she was a very hard act to follow.”

The management company that represented him after he left politics said his life and work were driven by strong Christian values ​​and a commitment to public service.

“He loved the cutting edge of political debate and, 16 years after leaving Parliament, he’s still campaigning for Reform UK and giving his opinion on the hot topics of the day,” Cloud9 Management said.

“As Ann once said… ‘we get one go forever, one go. Life isn’t a dress rehearsal, you take the chances you like and go for it, that’s my philosophy.”

Widdecombe told the BBC in 2008 that he spent time in Dartmoor National Park as a child. He told the BBC that he named his home Widdecombe’s Rest and that he planned to spend the rest of his life there.