Widdecombe suspect charged with planning terror act against Farage

Counter terror police say the further charge comes after a "hugely intensive and complex investigation". The man accused of murdering Ann Widdecombe has also been charged with preparing acts of terror including against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. Counter terror police said Joshua Kerry, 28, was charged on Friday with one count of preparation of terrorist acts. The charge relates to activity which is alleged to have taken place between May 2024 and July 2026. Kerry was charged in July with the murder of 78-year-old Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she knew the fresh charge would be "extremely concerning" and her "profound sympathies" were with Farage and his family. "Let no one make any mistake: an attack on anyone in politics is an attack on us all.

"This case raises serious questions about the security of those in public life. We must use this as an opportunity to reset. Once parliament returns, I will update on our work to strengthen protections for those who choose to serve." The BBC contacted Reform UK for comment and a party source said: "This is exactly why Nigel needed £5m to protect his security for life." Farage is currently facing a parliamentary standards watchdog probe into a £5m gift from a billionaire donor before he returned as an MP in 2024. The Reform leader has previously said the money was for his personal security. Ann Widdecombe's murder 'a wake-up call' - Reform UK deputy leader Deputy leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the murder of Ann Widdecombe had made everyone take security more seriously. "What's particularly upsetting for those of us in and around him [Farage] is sometimes he's not been believed, not been listened to." Tice added that he personally had security arrangements in place and his habits had changed which was a "consequence of the world we live in" arguing the "online world has clearly hindered this whole process". Asked if Reform had done enough to dial the temperature down and whether comments from politicians added to public anger, Tice said "the passions that flow through democratic debate should be completely separate to the way that people respond "It's the nature of democracy...

it's part of the joy of it is that there will be robust debate but at the end of it one should be able to shake hands." Counter Terrorism Policing Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said the charge on Friday was the result of a "hugely intensive and complex investigation". "This investigation has been led by a dedicated team of detectives, analysts, and forensic experts, working on multiple lines of enquiry, which has resulted in this very serious charge," she added. Kerry, from Rotherham, is due to appear in court over the terror charge on Wednesday, police said. Frank Ferguson of the Crown Prosecution Service's Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division said prosecutors "worked closely" with police to bring the charge and would continue to work alongside them as the investigation continued. Widdecombe was found dead on Thursday 9 July at her home in Haytor, Devon, having sustained serious injuries. She served as Conservative MP for Maidstone in Kent for 23 years and was appointed to ministerial roles in Sir John Major's government in the 1990s. Following her departure from the Commons, Widdecombe appeared on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and would later become a Reform UK spokeswoman.

⚡ Effects Interpreter