Ann Widdecombe – a woman of courage

A tribute to the late Ann Widdecombe by Andrew Rosindell MP – delivered to the Reform UK Conference in Birmingham, Friday 4th September 2026

THIS YEAR MARKS MY 25th YEAR as the Member of Parliament for my Essex hometown of Romford. For nine of those years, I was privileged to sit in the House of Commons alongside a formidable lady, who was not only a true friend, but also a huge political inspiration to me, a lady who would always say it as it is, and never flinch from a battle to uphold the principles she believed in.

Ann Widdecombe was a woman of courage, who was in politics for the right reasons: to serve her country, defend the British nation and stand up for the heritage and Christian foundations of these islands. She was one of those increasingly rare public figures who possessed genuine conviction.

For Ann, loyalty to her country and commitment to her faith were everything, but when she needed to change course in the pursuit of what she considered to be right, she did so.

Her first defection wasn’t political at all. It happened when she became a Roman Catholic, having lost faith in the Church of England.

Her second came when she lost faith in the Conservative Party, dismayed that it was no longer truly conservative and had failed, time and again, to keep its promises after each election. As many of us discovered, that was an altogether easier conversion!

Ann Widdecombe would always put country before party and as a true patriot, putting our nation first was instinctive to her.  Ann didn’t need to wait to be given the party line, she didn’t read from a script handed to her by party bureaucrats or wait to be given instructions by the whips.

Ann instinctively knew what was right and would fight for it.

We have seen great strides for our party this year, under Nigel’s leadership. Sadly though, these achievements, however great, have been overshadowed by the loss of Ann, without whom none of these triumphs would have been possible. The barbaric murder of Ann Widdecombe was an attack on our democracy, on freedom of speech, on all the principles upon which our British nation is built.

Although we grieve her loss, especially the many of us who considered her a friend for so long, I remember and celebrate a life of selflessness and public service – one defined by the aspiration that the Britain she left behind would be better than the one she was born into.

she also passionately believed that all that was great in Great Britain could be found in ordinary people

Whether one agreed with Ann or disagreed, nobody could ever doubt that she believed what she said and said what she truly believed. She never shaped her principles in accordance with public opinion. Every argument she espoused was carefully constructed and rooted in first principles. In most cases she was a trailblazer, in others, she espoused the views of millions across the country who had come to similar conclusions. If she thought something was right, she said so and if she thought it was wrong, she most certainly said that too!

A good example was her love of animals – her passion to end cruelty inflicted upon God’s creatures. This was a subject on which she was uncompromising. In fact, this typifies Ann’s very nature – in the pursuit of what was right, there would be no compromise.

Throughout her political life she also passionately believed that all that was great in Great Britain could be found in ordinary people: ordinary people too often ignored, too often spoken down to, their views sneered at, and too often betrayed by those who claimed to represent them.

A few months ago, I met Ann walking through the corridors of the House of Commons.  She congratulated me on joining Reform UK and asked how I was getting on.

I reminded her of our conversation in April 2024, just before the General Election, when we met in Southend with our dear friend Lady Julia Amess, who had lost her husband David in another barbaric act of terror in 2021.  Over dinner, Ann admitted to me that the following day, she was due to speak at a Reform UK fundraiser in Romford, but that I shouldn’t worry, for whilst she was committed to Reform UK, she would not say anything too bad about me … apart from the fact that I was stuck in the wrong party and that I should join Reform UK.

Nigel’s been telling me that from the start, I told her!

Well, Nigel, conference, I think it was good advice, don’t you? So here I am!

Thank you Ann, for leading the way for so many of us, thank you Ann for always being there when you were needed, and thank you Ann for your kindness, compassion and for being a true friend to so many, but above all, thank you for your patriotism and love of country.

Losing you from our lives has been an unbearably tragic moment.  We will never forget you, or stop fighting for the things you stood for throughout your life.

Our task must now be to carry on the battle to save our country, as Ann would have done, but now, we must do so with even greater determination, in her memory.

God bless you, and thank you, Ann Widdecombe.