News of the death of former Conservative MP turned Reform UK spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe broke on Friday morning, with tributes paid to her long political career. In an unexpected - and shocking - development, Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed yesterday afternoon that a murder investigation has been launched into the 78-year-old's death.
A 26-year-old white British man was arrested on suspicion of her murder. He has since been released from custody and is no longer part of the investigation, police said.
Officers have urged the public not to speculate about the circumstances, so we'll of course say no more here, other than that our thoughts remain with Widdecombe's loved ones at this sad time.
The allegations of financial dishonesty plaguing Nigel Farage deepened this week with further investigations launched into Reform UK now underway and an apparent attempt to exonerate himself via an impromptu by-election quickly turning farcical. As Chancellor Rachel Reeves put it, he’s “arguing with a bin”.
Will the boys club of British politics continue under Andy Burnham’s watch? The Labour leadership nominations period opened this week, and PM-in-waiting Burnham was straight onto the ballot, leaving the party waiting with bated breath for his cabinet appointments.
And it’s another football-heavy weekend ahead as England takes on Norway in the World Cup quarter finals, before Argentina plays Switzerland. Hopefully all free from any interference from Donald Trump.
Read on for your Weekend Wire.
You’ve Got Male
Former transport secretary and key Burnham ally Louise Haigh has accused Downing Street of having a “cabal of men that were deliberately mistreating women around the government” including Lisa Nandy, Bridget Phillipson and Angela Rayner, as well as Starmer’s former chief of staff Sue Gray.
The Sheffield Labour MP, who was also a leading rebel during the backbench revolt over Starmer’s failed welfare reforms, has been a big player in persuading many of her colleagues to back Burnham as the next Prime Minister and even ran his Makerfield campaign. Burnham has said he will end the culture of briefing against female ministers and fire any staff who undermine female members of his team.
This opens up a wider discussion about the old boys club mentality that too often underpins our politics - and drives policy making. Who can forget former top civil servant Helen MacNamara’s evidence to the Covid inquiry of the Tory government’s absence of a “female perspective” on the crisis and a “lack of thought” including about childcare, victims of domestic violence, and pregnant women.
Burnham’s imminent accession to the top job means Labour is still yet to appoint its first female leader. Reports a party insider had suggested he would promote an “unashamedly female agenda”, such as health, education and family finances, unsurprisingly drew ire. Eye-roll worthy that may be, but as Burnham inches his way closer to No10, he has the opportunity to truly practice what he preaches on gender equality
As of the time of writing the Makerfield MP had almost sealed his ascent to the pinnacle of British politics. His leadership campaign has been backed by 322 out of 403 Labour MPs, leaving him just one MP short of mathematically securing the premiership and making it impossible for a rival to challenge his bid.
Don’t Count Him Out
On Tuesday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage delivered a press conference on his future in public life, after calls for him to come clean about his financial affairs intensified. Unfortunately for the rest of us, he plans to continue his political career, and announced a by-election in his Clacton seat.
Unfortunately for Nigel, all of the UK’s other main political parties - Labour, the Conservatives, the Lib Dems, and the Green Party - as well the far-right Restore Britain, have all chosen to boycott the farce. Step up, Count Binface, who has stood in 6 elections, including against Andy Burnham, Theresa May and Sadiq Khan, who plans to challenge Farage, with a slate of none-too-shabby policies. (A 99 Flake for 99p, anyone?) The Reform leader, who repeatedly denied wrongdoing, has accused the parties of being “scared” to face him and said their lack of co-operation did not make it a “fake” contest.
Following the media storm surrounding Binface, Reform UK MP Lee Anderson moved the writ in the Commons on Thursday morning, with the by-election date now confirmed as Thursday, August 13.
Not so slick Jenrick
Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick is under investigation by the Met Police for a political donation of almost £40,000 made to his campaign for the Conservative Party leadership. The money in question is a portion of a wider £100,000 donation from British entrepreneur Phillip Ullmann, via a company called Spott Fitness, with questions around whether the smaller sum originated overseas, which are banned under electoral law. The Newark MP, who unsuccessfully sought to succeed Rishi Sunak as Tory leader in 2024, has since joined Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, where he serves as Treasury spokesman.
And the party was rocked by further scandal on Friday morning when it was revealed that the police force were also investigating more than £500,000 of donations made to Reform UK by Fiona Cottrell - mother of convicted fraudster ‘Posh George’. Officers have reportedly spent over 12 months investigating whether offenses relating to “the evasion of restrictions on donations” have been committed. It marks the latest chapter in a funding scandal that appears to be affecting the party at every level.
Crime and punishment
Rather than give more oxygen to Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe’s abhorrent remarks about the Dunblane school massacre, we’re focusing instead on another crime saga.
The story of Ruth Ellis, victim of domestic violence, childhood sexual abuse and the last woman to be hanged in the UK, now pardoned posthumously for shooting and killing her abusive lover in 1955, raises more questions about the historic treatment of women by the justice system.
Championed by her grandchildren, the application for a pardon urged a re-examination of the domestic abuse, trauma and circumstances that were never properly recognised at Ellis’ trial. Earlier this week, deputy prime minister and justice secretary, David Lammy, announced in parliament that, on his advice, King Charles had granted Ellis a conditional pardon.
While this does not affect the conviction itself, it does change the sentence imposed by the court with a lesser penalty. For Ellis, it replaces the death penalty with a sentence of life imprisonment.
Guns N’ Roses
It wasn’t petals for Keir Starmer as he departed stage left from the international scene, but rather a personalised, inscribed revolver delivered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Beyond the pleasantries, however, the final NATO summit of the Starmer era was dominated by one world leader, yet again. Bet you can’t guess who.
The US President lashed out at Spain for what he perceives as a lack of defence spending from the European nation. Seemingly still incensed by a lack of support from his NATO signatories, Trump once again reiterated his call for US annexation of Greenland, arguing that the Danish territory was “very important to the United States, but it’s not important for Denmark”.
The summit in Ankara came as the ceasefire between the US and Iran collapsed in spectacular style. Over the past few days, the US has hit more than 90 military targets in Iran, while the Iranians have targeted US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. It marks the latest escalation in a war that continues to rumble on and drive the cost of living higher and higher.
Godwin’s Law - and PR
This week on Substack, Best for Britain’s CEO Naomi Smith delivered a powerful and persuasive argument for changing Britain’s voting system and adopting proportional representation, with the advance of the far-right parties Restore Britain and Reform UK making Britain’s FPTP system dangerously inappropriate for today’s fractured and multi-party political system.
As Naomi rightly argues:
“Proportional representation does not banish extremism from public life. Obnoxious parties can and do win seats under this system. What PR reliably prevents is total control on the back of partial support. It forces compromise and coalition, exactly the kind of broad-based governing consent that first past the post can simply bypass altogether…
“Lock this in your memory: Nazi party commander Hermann Goering, giving evidence at his own war crimes trial, argued that under the British electoral system, that same 37.27% of the vote would have delivered the Nazis every single seat in the Reichstag.”
Infanti-NO
There was, at least, poetic justice in the way that the American football team crashed out of their home World Cup to Belgium’s Red Devils.
US striker, and top scorer, Folorin Balogun had received a red card for a rough challenge during the US victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina, ruling out the star man from the following game against Belgium. Or so we thought. Instead, President Trump got on the blower to FIFA President Gianni Infantino – the man who makes Sepp Blatter look like the Patron Saint of Fairplay – suspended Balogun’s suspension with no official explanation and allowing him to play the next game.
UEFA, the Belgian FA, and England manager Thomas Tuchel were all up in arms about the decision and the way in which Trump and Infantino had brought the game into disrepute. A reminder of the limits even of the power of the Oval Office.
Roll up! Roll up! (II)
A reminder that with Burnham waiting in the wings to select his top team, our fantasy cabinet tool is still available for you to create your own. Will Boudicca be your Defence Sec? Will we see a return to cabinet for Gordon Brown? Or maybe Tracey Emin needs to redesign the Home Office?
Congratulations to Sam Proctor, whose Fantasy Cabinet has been picked as this week’s winner!
If you think you can do better than Sam, or Burnham, do give it a go…
Who you gonna call? Myth-busters! The Leave campaign of 2016 was fuelled by a sense of protest, but also a whole lot of dud claims. This week, we took a trip down memory lane to reassess some of the pledges from those who assured us we’d be better off out…
Myth: The UK will be the first in the queue for a US trade deal
Instead of a liberalising trade deal, the UK has been faced with punitive American tariffs, a President in the White House who demeans the UK’s armed forces, and a Vice-President who has actively sought to undermine British interests at home and abroad.
Myth: There will be fewer regulations for UK businesses after we leave
The reality? In order to export to the EU, British businesses have been faced with a torrent of suffocating red tape that has cost our businesses billions of pounds a year, led to over two billion extra pieces of paperwork.
Myth: Turkey is about to join the EU
The truth? While Turkey was granted candidate country status in 1999, the pace of negotiations has slowed dramatically and Turkey’s democratic ‘backsliding’ has made membership a remote possibility. Negotiations have been frozen since 2018.
Cheerful News of The Week
The Bayeux Tapestry has been returned to the UK after almost a full millennium. The famed tapestry, which depicts the story of William the Conqueror’s ascent to the throne, will be on loan at the British Museum for nine months. The historic artwork’s return to the UK, where it is believed to have been stitched, was negotiated by outgoing PM Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron last year - and arrived, glamorously, under cover of night.
With England facing Norway this weekend, could a rematch of the Battle of Stamford Bridge, as depicted in the tapestry, be on the cards?
Not sure the England football players loved Ed Sheeran’s performance…
The Representation of the People Bill is to be introduced in Parliament before it rises for the summer recess on Thursday.
On the continent, it’s a massive day for Gibraltar, as the warmly welcomed UK–EU deal on the status of the Rock is provisionally applied.
Have a good one!
Eliza Snider and Joshua Edwicker
Senior Press Officer and Senior Content Officer
Best for Britain