British prosecutors on Monday charged a 28-year-old man with the murder of former politician and reality television personality Ann Widdecombe.
Joshua Kerry was charged after being held for more than a week on suspicion of murder and terrorism-related offences. Prosecutors said police are continuing to investigate his motive, including whether the killing had a political or terrorist link.
The death of Widdecombe, 78, a former member of Parliament, has shocked Britain's political community. She was a prominent political figure for decades and was known for her outspoken socially conservative views, including opposition to abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.
Police believe Widdecombe was attacked on July 8. She failed to appear for a scheduled television interview that afternoon and was found dead the following day at her secluded home in a village on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in southwest England.
Authorities have not disclosed the cause of death, saying only that she suffered "serious injuries" in what they described as a targeted and brutal attack.
Kerry was arrested on July 11 in South Yorkshire, more than 320 kilometres (200 miles) from Haytor village, where Widdecombe's body was found.
He remains in custody and is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
Police initially arrested Kerry on suspicion of murder. However, after uncovering new evidence while he was in custody, they rearrested him on suspicion of committing, preparing or encouraging acts of terrorism.
Widdecombe served as a member of the House of Commons from 1987 to 2010 and held several government positions, including prisons minister in Prime Minister John Major's Conservative government during the 1990s.
After leaving Parliament, she gained wider public recognition by appearing on the reality television programmes Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother.
She later joined the Brexit Party and briefly served as a member of the European Parliament before Britain left the European Union in 2020. Most recently, she was associated with the anti-immigration Reform UK party and frequently appeared in the media as one of its spokespersons.
The killing has renewed concerns over the safety of British politicians. Security for lawmakers has been strengthened in recent years following the murders of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016 by a far-right extremist and Conservative MP David Amess in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.