British police said on Monday they had opened a murder investigation into the death of Anne Widdecum, a former MP who was found dead at her home in southwest England, the Associated Press reported.
Seventy-eight-year-old Widdecum, who was also the prison minister, was found yesterday in Haytor, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, with serious injuries, according to a statement from Devon and Cornwall Police.
Police said they were looking for a white male suspect.
British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the circumstances surrounding the former Conservative MP's death "are extremely “.
Widecombe rose to fame after leaving parliament and appearing as a contestant on two reality shows, and later joining the Brexit Party and becoming a spokesperson for the anti-immigration party “Reform UK“.
She was a member of the House of Commons from 1987 to 2010 and was known for her socially conservative views, opposing abortion rights and increasing rights for the LGBTQ community, the AP notes.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described her as “a heroic advocate for Brexit and a brilliant orator who could bring Conservative Party supporters to such raptures that it was very difficult to take the podium after her“.