Originally published at The Crux
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A prominent British politician who was also a Catholic convert has died, aged 78.
Ann Widdecombe was a well-known political figure in the UK, spending 23 years as a Member of Parliament for Maidstone in Kent for the Conservatives, from 1987 to 2010.
There are some reports that she died on Wednesday, as the result of a fall, but this hasn’t been confirmed yet.
“It is with great sadness that today we announce the death of the Rt. Hon. Ann Widdecombe, DSG. We send our deepest condolences to Ann’s family and friends. We ask that the family’s wish not to be contacted at this sad time is respected,” said her agents, Cloud 9 Management.
After leaving parliament, she appeared on TV shows Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.
A staunch supporter of the UK’s exit from the European Union, she later caused a stir by leaving the Conservatives and joining the then-Brexit Party as a Member of European Parliament (MEP), which later became Reform UK, the right-wing populist party of which Nigel Farage is the leader.
She later became Reform UK’s spokesperson for immigration and justice.
Following the news of her death, Farage
