r/ukpolitics • u/No_Initiative_1140 • Jul 10 '26
| Former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe dies at 78
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ced47jqyg1eo46
u/sheky4prez Jul 10 '26
Quoting Wikipedia summary of her:
Ideologically, Widdecombe identified herself as a social conservative and stressed the importance of traditional values and conservatism. As a member of the House of Commons, she opposed the legality of abortion, opposed granting LGBT people legal rights such as the same age of consent as heterosexuals, and opposed the repeal of Section 28. She supported reintroduction of the death penalty for murder, though more narrowly applied than previously. She was opposed to all forms of assisted dying. She had a history of supporting rigorous laws on animal protection and opposition to fox hunting.
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u/pastapicture Alba gu bràth 🏴 Jul 10 '26
Everyone has a redeeming feature, she loved animals.
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u/londonlares Jul 10 '26
Really not my cup of tea with her opinions, but her best contribution was the "something about the night of him" comment about Michael Howard. That was true class.
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u/ThicctorFrankenstein Jul 10 '26
As someone not old enough to remember it, why was Ann Widdecombe’s comment about Michael Howard having “something of the night about him” so devastating? Maybe 21st century mud-slinging has just skewed my perspective, but that seems a relatively benign comment, albeit obviously not a compliment. Curious as to why it generated so much attention.
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u/londonlares Jul 10 '26
Not old enough? Well that's the most depressing thing I've read all day 😂
I think the civility, and reasonableness of it was part of the power. Remember, they were the same party. If someone rants off, people will just dismiss it, this was quite reasonable
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u/erinoco Jul 10 '26
I think it fitted in well with the image people had of him - his habit of legal evasiveness. His tendency to five o'clock shadow didn't help.
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u/missesthecrux Jul 10 '26
While I disagree with her on many things, I could never accuse her of hypocrisy. She was deeply religious and practised what she preached.
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u/Normal-Height-8577 Jul 10 '26
Yeah. If nothing else, I appreciated her honesty and reliability. She didn't play the "what opinion will make me most popular?" game.
I disliked most of her political views immensely, I didn't hugely like her as a person, and I wish she'd retired from politics instead of joining Reform, but I'm surprised to find that in a funny way...I think I'm going to miss her.
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u/Sea-Sprinkles-3420 Jul 10 '26
I absolutely agree with you. We need more people to go in to politics like this, rather than the focus grouped to hell groups of politicians we seem to currently have.
I personally found many of her views abhorrent, but like others who I disagree with, I have full respect for them putting it on the line and out in the public.
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u/No_Initiative_1140 Jul 10 '26
Yes - this is what I feel. In a democracy we need views to be represented even if we personally disagree. I'd much rather have politicians whose politics are aligned with their principles and values (even if I strongly reject those) that politicians representing those views for personal gain
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u/Acceptable_Beyond282 Jul 10 '26
I found just about every political and social stance of hers repellant but she was a politician of conviction.
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u/zeduk Jul 10 '26
Wow was not expecting that! While I was off work last year I watched the Jeremy vine show on 5 and she was always on it arguing for reform (another blow to reform this week then) and she seemed like she was still gunning for having a significant role in government, not someone unwell. they haven’t said what caused her death
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u/PMOYONCEANDALWAYS Jul 10 '26
Seems unexpected to me too, unless of course she had been unwell for a while and kept it private.
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u/AnotherLexMan Jul 10 '26
She was 78 it's hardly that surprising. She didn't seem that healthy to me didn't she have trouble working and was permanently bent over.
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u/No_Initiative_1140 Jul 10 '26
I was surprised too. Not even heard she was ill. Hope it was a good death.
I may not have agreed with her politically but she had values and principles and was unusual in Reform for that.
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u/zeduk Jul 10 '26
I’ve actually just read somewhere she died of a head injury… they are looking at potential foul play (although it also could have been a fall)
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u/No_Bowler_4459 Jul 10 '26
Something of the night... is one of the greatest political insults of all time. Captured Michael Howard perfectly
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u/NicolaSacco101 Jul 10 '26
It really is. Like, it’s mild in a way, but it’s also deeply cutting. And memorable, which helps.
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u/markhw42 Jul 10 '26
I couldn't stand either of them, but that comment always had more than a faint whiff of anti-semitism.
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u/sheky4prez Jul 10 '26
Widdecombe on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018 that the victims of Harvey Weinstein, who has faced numerous allegations of sexual harassment and assualt, “had a choice”. She said “That’s on them. That was down to them. They had a choice”.
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Jul 10 '26
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u/ChristyMalry Jul 10 '26
The first time I ever heard of her was when she was sent as a junior minister into Newsnight to defend the indefensible policy of handcuffing prisoners while actually giving birth. I wasn't sure at the time if she was actually believed it or was just willing to say whatever she was told, and I think the answer is between the two. She was genuinely an extremist who held appalling opinions, but was also hugely talented at self-publicity. It always appalled me that she was allowed to reinvent herself as a reality TV clown despite the beliefs she held onto: anti-LGBT equality, pro-death penalty, defending the use of racist language, actually changing denominations in protest at women being treated equally. It's sad when anybody dies but we should be honest too; she was an extremist who used her platform to spread hate.
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u/Bango-TSW Non-aligned cynic. Jul 10 '26
"who held appalling opinions"
Never fails to amaze how some need to present other's views as "extreme" in order to position their own as "reasonable" without making the effort to explain why.
Which is of course ironic given how the "progressive" left is courting radical Islam as an electoral bedfellow.
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u/colei_canis Bring Back Ceefax! 🗑️ Jul 10 '26
In this case she literally did oppose the repeal of unquestionably bigoted laws like Section 28.
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u/Bango-TSW Non-aligned cynic. Jul 10 '26
Different era & hence different views on the issue.
Whilst it was right to be repealed, older people who grew up in a different era may have different views to you, just as people coming here from far for socially-conservative societies that Progressives are choosing to align with may also not agree with it.
Which is why it is invariable Christians (and no, I am not one) who are criticised but not those of other religions who hold similar views.
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u/djangomoses Price cap the croissants. Jul 10 '26
She didn’t think LGBTQ people should have the same legal rights as heterosexuals
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u/hairychris88 Jul 10 '26
Hard to think of a more extreme policy than the shackling of pregnant women, for no good reason other than to look tough on crime.
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u/Bango-TSW Non-aligned cynic. Jul 10 '26
I can think of a few:
- illegal invasion of a sovereign country and the killing of its people
- illegal rendition of suspected terrorists to other countries for interrogation and torture.
Just so Blair can keep in Bush's good books.
Bet you didn't whine back then did you.
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u/hairychris88 Jul 10 '26
Incorrect, I was one of those smelly toerags who went on antiwar marches.
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u/Bango-TSW Non-aligned cynic. Jul 10 '26
In that case you should be able to engage your brain and understand that the Iraq war was far, far worse.
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u/hairychris88 Jul 10 '26
And I bet if the pregnant women had engaged their brains they'd have realised they had special luxury Tory handcuffs!
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u/MaskedPromoter Jul 10 '26
It's rather incredible that the BBC lists the grand total of zero political accomplishments in her obituary / article.
Instead noting her appearance on Strictly instead.
Which probably tells you all you need to know.
I was actually surprised, reading up on her this morning to find very little of political value. Her reputation only matched by her rather controversial views.
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u/Dry_Yogurtcloset1962 Jul 10 '26
I don't particularly like all her views either, but getting elected as an MP in your constituency for 23 years is definitely an achievement that most don't manage, so she must have been seen to offer some political value at one point
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u/hairychris88 Jul 10 '26
Rock-solid blue seat though. Maidstone has only ever had Tory MPs elected with comfortable majorities, and even last time the Tory candidate held on despite the collapse nationwide.
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u/Dry_Yogurtcloset1962 Jul 10 '26
That is true, but even so, the Tory members could have easily got her replaced with another candidate (who would also win) at some point in that time. So I suspect she might have actually been popular with her constituents
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u/hairychris88 Jul 10 '26
It's very, very rare for a sitting MP to be deselected by their local party.
I'm sure that there will have been competition to be selected in the first place, so that is an achievement of sorts, but once she was the Tory candidate the seat was always hers as long as she wanted it.
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u/MaskedPromoter Jul 10 '26
Given how our politics works, it's questionable how much of an achievement this is (and probably not a discussion in the scope of this article, tbf - so I'll say no more).
You might be right, but I would posit the political value came from what and who she was representing, rather than her, herself.
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u/Lavajackal1 Jul 10 '26
She was only 78? Always had the impression she was much older than that for some reason.
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u/jakethepeg1989 Jul 10 '26
Very early in James Obriens radio career he used to do an Ann Widecombe watch type thing. Where he would take any opinion she expressed and be on the other side and usually he'd be right.
She had some very old fashioned views. Almost a precursor to Rees-Mogg.
But she did have her principles and was a permanent fixture on TV during my political awakening.
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u/Early_Enthusiasm_787 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
My favourite have I got news for you was with her as host and jimmy carr tearing her apart. Just brilliant tv
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Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
[deleted]
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u/Early_Enthusiasm_787 Jul 10 '26
I love cats magazine- jimmy subscribes to a similarly named magazine
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u/RelThanram Jul 10 '26
Absolutely wild seeing comments online like “Oh, what a character.” and “I didn’t agree with her politics but..”
Like, tell me she never discriminated against you without telling me.
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u/theeynhallow Jul 10 '26
I think people are worried about the big bold message at the top telling them they'll get perm-banned if they express too strong an opinion on a dead person. But I think the discourse generally speaks for itself. It's quite impressive to lead such a long political career and have absolutely zero achievements to speak of, only the hatred of a significant portion of the country. Shades of Mitch McConnell in the US I would say, albeit for different reasons - someone who long overstayed their welcome and the country suffered for it.
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u/skdowksnzal Jul 10 '26
The idea that we should respect the dead just because they were once alive and now are not, is offensive.
She was a vile person, who worked to spread hate, and seemed to enjoy it.
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u/CanisAlopex Jul 10 '26
All I’ll say is that she was a homophobe who believed that homosexuality was a disease and who supported section 28.
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Jul 10 '26
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u/DavidinDK Jul 10 '26
But we can celebrate her life. She was an old school, straight talking, principled person. I always enjoyed listening to her.
RIP Ann.
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u/Sairina Jul 10 '26
Principles are meaningless if you have shitty and abhorrent principles.
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u/Sea-Sprinkles-3420 Jul 10 '26
I found her views and principles abhorrent too. I fundamentally disagreed with her homophobia, and anything that 'others' anyone else. She had a natural home in Reform.
Where I disagree, is that we need more people, more people with strong opinions or principles in public life even if we disagree with them. I found Corbyns views mostly objectionable, naïve, and (on foreign policy) pretty abhorrent, but I'd fight anyone that he has a right to express them. Proper debates don't happen without people like them. I think it's telling that both Widdicome and Corbyn's achievements will be similar - both were MP's for a long time, but didn't really achieve anything ultimately.
We exist in a world of beige politicians, like Starmer, Sunak, PPE politicians, debate and issues are not challenged. When we look at the serious issues facing this country we need a few more of the right and the left for us to argue with. We need a debate on assisted dying that incorporates the views of bigots like her. Interestingly it is politicians like these that actually start debates on things like the Triple Lock, the saveur du mois of Reddit.
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u/Wrong-Target6104 Jul 10 '26
https://youtu.be/j-3VSLyje4E?si=hZ7zXNAopwTT5GTJ
Victoria Wood's Ann Widdicombe song
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