Ann Widdecombe

The Right Honourable
Ann Widdecombe
Photograph of the upper body of a 63-year-old Ann Widdecombe wearing a small crucifix
Widdecombe in 2010
Shadow Home Secretary
In office
13 June 1999[1] – 18 September 2001
Leader William Hague
Preceded by Norman Fowler
Succeeded by Oliver Letwin
Shadow Secretary of State for Health
In office
24 May 1998 – 13 June 1999
Leader William Hague
Preceded by John Maples
Succeeded by Liam Fox
Minister of State for Prisons
In office
28 February 1995 – 2 May 1997
Prime Minister John Major
Preceded by Michael Forsyth
Succeeded by Joyce Quin
Member of Parliament
for Maidstone and The Weald
Maidstone (1987–1997)
In office
12 June 1987 – 12 April 2010
Preceded by John Wells
Succeeded by Helen Grant
Personal details
Born (1947-10-04) 4 October 1947
Bath, England, UK
Political party Conservative
Alma mater University of Birmingham
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford

Ann Noreen Widdecombe, PC (born 4 October 1947) is a British former politician. She was a Privy Councillor and was the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Maidstone from 1987-1997 and for Maidstone and The Weald from 1997-2010. She was a social conservative, a member of the Conservative Christian Fellowship and retired from politics at the 2010 general election. Since 2002, she has also made numerous television and radio appearances, including as a television presenter. She is a convert from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism.

As an MP, Widdecombe was known for opposing the legality of abortion, her opposition to various issues of LGBT rights such as an equal age of consent and the repeal of Section 28, her support for the re-introduction of the death penalty, the retention of blasphemy laws and her opposition to fox hunting.

Early life

Born in Bath, Somerset, Widdecombe is the daughter of Rita Noreen (née Plummer; 1911-2007) and Ministry of Defence civil servant James Murray Widdecombe. Widdecombe's maternal grandfather, James Henry Plummer, was born to an Irish Catholic family of English descent in Crosshaven, County Cork in 1874. She attended the Royal Naval School in Singapore,[2] and La Sainte Union Convent School in Bath.[3] She then read Latin at the University of Birmingham and later attended Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE).[4] While studying at Oxford, she lived next door to Mary Archer, Edwina Currie, and Gyles Brandreth's wife Michèle Brown.[5] She worked for Unilever (1973–75) and then as an administrator at the University of London (1975–87) before entering Parliament.[3]

Councillor

From 1976 to 1978, Widdecombe was a councillor on Runnymede District Council in Surrey.[6] She contested the seat of Burnley in Lancashire in the 1979 general election and then, against David Owen, the Plymouth Devonport seat in the 1983 general election.[7][8]

Member of Parliament

She was first elected to the House of Commons in the 1987 general election as member for the constituency of Maidstone (which became Maidstone and The Weald in 1997).[9]

Political views

As an MP, Widdecombe expressed conservative views, including opposition to abortion; it was understood during her time in frontline politics that she would not become Health Secretary as long as this involved responsibility for abortions. Although a committed Christian, she has characterised the issue as one of life and death on which her view had been the same when she was agnostic[10] and was a member of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children while studying at Oxford.[11] Along with John Gummer MP, she converted from the Church of England to the Catholic Church following the decision of the Church of England on the Ordination of women as priests.[12] In her speech at the 2000 Conservative conference, she called for a zero tolerance policy of prosecution, with the punishment of £100 fines for users of cannabis. This was well received by rank-and-file Conservative delegates.[13]

She is a committed animal lover and one of the few Conservative MPs to have consistently voted for the ban on fox hunting.[14] Widdecombe was among more than 20 high-profile people who signed a letter to Members of Parliament in 2015 to oppose David Cameron's plan to amend the Hunting Act 2004.[15]

She has expressed a variety of views on scientific issues such as climate change but has been opposed to legislation reducing emissions. Her views on the subject appear to have hardened over time. In 2007, she wrote that she did not want to belittle the issue but was sceptical of the claims that specific actions would prevent catastrophe,[16] then in 2008 that her doubts had been "crystalised" by Nigel Lawson's book An Appeal to Reason,[17] before stating in 2009 that "There is no climate change, hasn’t anybody looked out of their window recently?"[18] She was one of the five MPs who voted against the Climate Change Act 2008.[19] In 2011 she expressed the view that "climate change money should go to armed services".[20] The previous year, she voted to support a parliamentary motion supporting homeopathy, criticising the Science and Technology Committee's Report on the subject.[21]

Over the years, Widdecombe has expressed her support for a reintroduction of the death penalty, which was abolished in the UK in 1965. She notably spoke of her support for its reintroduction for the worst cases of murder in the aftermath of the murder of two 10-year-old girls from Soham, Cambridgeshire, in August 2002, in the Soham murders. She supported the argument that the death penalty would have deterrent value, as within five years of its abolition the national murder rate had more than doubled.[22]

LGBT rights

Although she supported the UK's partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967, Widdecombe has consistently opposed LGBT rights while in Parliament, saying in 1999 that "I do not think that [homosexuality] can be promoted as an equally valid lifestyle to [heterosexual] marriage, but I would say the same about irregular heterosexual arrangements."[10] She has consistently argued against an equal age of consent for same-sex relationships – first in 1994 (voting against the 1994 Act, which would have reduced the age of consent for some male-male sexual activity in the UK from 21 to 18), and secondly in 1998 (arguing against a further reduction from 18 to 16, which later occurred in 2000);[23][24] On the latter point, she wrote in The Mail on Sunday that "one of the sundry horrors for which this Government is likely to be remembered will be that it gave its imprimatur to sodomy at 16", adding that if the age of consent was equalised, "there will be no protection for the vulnerable and confused against the predatory attentions of older men".[24] She later said in 2000: "I do not believe that issues of equality should override the imperatives of protecting the young."[25]

In 2003, Widdecombe proposed an amendment opposing repeal of Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which banned the "promotion of homosexuality" by local governments. Out of the 17 parliamentary votes considered by the Public Whip website to concern equal rights for homosexuals, Widdecombe took the opposing position in 15 cases, not being present at the other two votes.[26]

Widdecombe has also expressed her opposition to same-sex marriage, introduced by David Cameron's government in 2014, again claiming that "the state must have a preferred model" and "a union that is generally open to procreation".[27] In 2012, Widdecombe voiced support in the Daily Express for the discredited and psychologically damaging practise of conversion therapy, which claims to change the orientation of gay men and women.[28][29]

In government

Widdecombe joined John Major's government as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security in 1990. In 1993, she was moved to the Department of Employment, and she was promoted to Minister of State the following year. In 1995, she joined the Home Office as Minister of State for Prisons and visited every prison in the UK.[30]

Shadow Cabinet

After the Conservative landslide defeat at the 1997 general election, she served as Shadow Health Secretary between 1998-1999 and later as Shadow Home Secretary between 1999-2001 under the leadership of William Hague.[31]

Leadership contest and backbenches

Widdecombe in 2006

During the 2001 Conservative leadership election, she could not find sufficient support amongst Conservative MPs for her leadership candidacy. She first supported Michael Ancram, who was eliminated in the first round, and then Kenneth Clarke, who lost in the final round. She afterwards declined to serve in Iain Duncan Smith's Shadow Cabinet (although she indicated on the television programme When Louis Met..., prior to the leadership contest, that she wished to retire to the backbenches anyway).

In the 2005 leadership election, she initially supported Kenneth Clarke again. Once he was eliminated, she turned support towards Liam Fox. Following Fox's subsequent elimination, she took time to reflect before finally declaring for David Davis. She expressed reservations over the eventual winner David Cameron, feeling that he did not, like the other candidates, have a proven track record, and she was later a leading figure in parliamentary opposition to his A-List policy, which she has said is "an insult to women".[32] At the October 2006 Conservative Conference, she was Chief Dragon in a political version of the television programme Dragons' Den, in which A-list candidates were invited to put forward a policy proposal, which was then torn apart by her team of Rachel Elnaugh, Oliver Letwin and Michael Brown.[33]

In an interview with Metro in September 2006 she stated that if Parliament were of a normal length, it was likely she would retire at the next general election.[34] She confirmed her intention to stand down to The Observer's Pendennis diary in September 2007,[35] and again in October 2007 after Prime Minister Gordon Brown quashed speculation of an autumn 2007 general election.[36]

In November 2006, she moved into the house of an Islington Labour Councillor to experience life on a council estate, her response to her experience being "Five years ago I made a speech in the House of Commons about the forgotten decents. I have spent the last week on estates in the Islington area finding out that they are still forgotten."[37]

Widdecombe was one of the 98 MPs who voted to keep their expense details secret.[38] When the expenses claims were leaked, however, Widdecombe was described by The Daily Telegraph as one of the "saints" amongst all MPs.[39]

In May 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin as Speaker of the House of Commons, it was reported that Widdecombe was gathering support for election as interim Speaker until the next general election.[40] On 11 June 2009, she confirmed her bid to be the Speaker.[41] She made it through to the second ballot but came last and was eliminated.[42]

Widdecombe retired from politics at the 2010 general election. It was rumoured that she would be a Conservative candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner in 2012, but she refused. She has since spoken about her opposition to the Coalition Government and her surprise at not being given a peerage by David Cameron.[43]

In 2016, she backed Britain's withdrawal from the European Union during the 2016 EU referendum and, following the resignation of David Cameron, endorsed Andrea Leadsom in her candidacy for election for the leadership of the governing Conservative Party.[44][45]

Personal life and family

Until her retirement at the 2010 general election, Widdecombe divided her time between her two homes – one in London and one in the village of Sutton Valence, Kent, in her constituency.[46] She sold both of these properties, however, upon deciding to retire at the next general election.[47][48] She shared her home in London with her widowed mother, Rita Widdecombe, until Rita's death, on 25 April 2007, aged 95.[49] In March 2008, she purchased a house in Haytor Vale, on Dartmoor in Devon, to where she has now retired.[50] Her brother, Malcolm (1937–2010), who was an Anglican Canon in Bristol, retired in May 2009 and died of metastatic oesophageal cancer on 12 October 2010.[51] Her nephew, Roger Widdecombe, is an Anglican priest.[52]

She has never married nor had any children. In November 2007 on BBC Radio 4 she described how a journalist once produced a profile on her with the assumption that she had had at least "one sexual relationship", to which Widdecombe replied: "Be careful, that's the way you get sued". When interviewer Jenni Murray asked if she had ever had a sexual relationship, Widdecombe laughed "it's nobody else's business".[53]

In a 2001 report in The Guardian it was claimed that she had had a three-year romance while at the University of Oxford.[54] Widdecombe herself confirmed the liaison when she appeared, in January 2018, on the UK reality show Big Brother, explaining that she had ended the romance in order to prioritise her career.[55][56]

Widdecombe has a fondness for cats and has a section of her website devoted to all the pet cats with which she has shared her life.[57] Widdecombe adopted two goats at the Buttercups Goat Sanctuary in Boughton Monchelsea near Maidstone, although one later died.[58] In an interview, Widdecombe talked about her appreciation of music despite describing herself as "pretty well tone-deaf".[59][60]

Her non-political accomplishments include being a popular novelist. Widdecombe also currently writes a weekly column for the Daily Express.[61]

In January 2011 Widdecombe was President of the North of England Education Conference in Blackpool, and gave a speech there supporting selective education and opposing the ban on new grammar schools being built.[62][63][64] She has also become a patron of The Grace Charity for M.E.[65]

Widdecombe revealed, in an April 2012 interview with Matt Chorley of The Independent, that she was writing her autobiography, which she described as "rude about all and sundry, but an amount of truth is always necessary".[43]

Widdecombe is a Patron of the charity Safe Haven for Donkeys in the Holy Land (SHADH) and in 2014 visited the SHADH Donkey Sanctuary in Palestine.[66]

Religious views

Widdecombe became an Anglican in her 30s, after a period of being an agnostic following her departure from religious schooling.[56] Widdecombe is now a practising Roman Catholic; she converted in 1993 after leaving the Church of England.[67] Her reasons for leaving the latter were many, as she explained to reporters from the New Statesman:

I left the Church of England because there was a huge bundle of straw. The ordination of women was the last straw, but it was only one of many. For years I had been disillusioned by the Church of England's compromising on everything. The Catholic Church doesn't care if something is unpopular.[68]

In October 2006, she pledged to boycott British Airways for suspending a worker who refused to hide her cross. The matter was resolved when the company reversed the suspension.[69]

In 2010, Widdecombe turned down an offer to be Britain's next ambassador to the Holy See, being prevented from accepting by suffering a detached retina.[70] She was made a Dame of the Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope Benedict XVI for services to politics and public life on 31 January 2013.[71]

Controversies

In 1990, following the assassination of the Conservative politician Ian Gow by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), the Eastbourne by-election for his seat in the House of Commons was won by the Liberal Democrat David Bellotti. Upon the announcement, Widdecombe told the voters that the IRA would be "toasting their success".[11]

In 1996, Widdecombe, as prisons minister, defended the Government's policy to shackle pregnant prisoners with handcuffs and chains when in hospital receiving ante-natal care. Widdecombe told the Commons the restrictions were needed to prevent prisoners from escaping. "Some MPs may like to think that a pregnant woman would not or could not escape. Unfortunately this is not true. The fact is that hospitals are not secure places in which to keep prisoners, and since 1990, 20 women have escaped from hospitals". Jack Straw, Labour's Home Affairs spokesman at the time, said it was "degrading and unnecessary" for a woman to be shackled at any stage.[72][73]

In 1997, during the Conservative leadership election of William Hague, Widdecombe spoke out against Michael Howard, under whom she had served when he was Home Secretary. She remarked in the House of Commons that there is "something of the night" about him.[74] The remark was considered to be antisemitic by some[75] and was damaging to Howard, who came last in the first round, an opinion both former ministers share.[76][77] Howard still became party leader in 2003, and Widdecombe then stated, "I explained fully what my objections were in 1997 and I do not retract anything I said then. But ... we have to look to the future and not the past."[78]

In 2001, when Michael Portillo was running for leader of the Conservative Party, Widdecombe described him and his allies as "backbiters"[36] due to his alleged destabilising influence under Hague.[79] She went on to say that, should he be appointed leader, she would never give him her allegiance.[36] This was amidst a homophobic campaign led by socially conservative critics of Portillo.[79]

Media work and appearances

Widdecombe in an Any Questions? broadcast in 2016 at the Nexus Methodist Church, Bath

In 2002, she took part in the ITV programme Celebrity Fit Club. Also in 2002 she took part in a Louis Theroux television documentary, depicting her life, both in and out of politics.[80] In March 2004 she briefly became The Guardian newspaper's agony aunt, introduced with an Emma Brockes interview.[56] In 2005 BBC Two showed six episodes of The Widdecombe Project, an agony aunt television programme.[81] In 2005, she appeared in a new series of Celebrity Fit Club, but this time as a panel member dispensing wisdom and advice to the celebrities taking part.[81][82] Also in 2005, she presented the show Ann Widdecombe to the Rescue in which she acted as an agony aunt, dispensing no-nonsense advice to disputing families, couples, and others across the UK.[81] In 2005, she also appeared in a discussion programme on Five to discuss who had been England's greatest monarch since the Norman Conquest; her choice of monarch was Charles II.[83]

She was the guest host of news quiz Have I Got News for You twice, in 2006 and 2007. Following her second appearance, Widdecombe vowed she would never appear on the show again because of comments made by panellist Jimmy Carr. She wrote, "His idea of wit is a barrage of filth and the sort of humour most men grow out of in their teens.... [T]here's no amount of money for which I would go through those two recording hours again. At one stage I nearly walked out."[84] She did, however, stand by her appraisal of regular panellists Ian Hislop and Paul Merton, whom she has called "the fastest wits in showbusiness".[84] Merton later revealed that he thought Widdecombe had been "the worst ever presenter" of the show, particularly on her second appearance where Merton claimed she "thought she was Victoria Wood".[85]

In 2007 she awarded the University Challenge trophy to the winners.[86] In the same year, she was cast as herself in "The Sound of Drums", the 12th episode of the third series of the science-fiction drama Doctor Who supporting Mr Saxon, the alias of the Master.[87] Since 2007 Widdecombe has fronted a television series called Ann Widdecombe Versus, on ITV1, in which she speaks to various people about things related to her as an MP, with an emphasis on confronting those responsible for problems she wished to tackle. On 15 August 2007 she talked about prostitution, the next week about benefits and the week after that about truancy. A fourth episode was screened on 18 September 2008 in which she travelled around London and Birmingham talking to girl gangs.[88]

In 2009, Widdecombe appeared with Archbishop John Onaiyekan in an "Intelligence Squared" debate in which they defended the motion that the Catholic Church was a force for good. Arguing against the motion were Stephen Fry and Christopher Hitchens, who won the debate overall.[89]

In October 2010, she appeared on BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing, partnered by Anton du Beke, winning the support of some viewers despite low marks from the judges.[90][91] After nine weeks of routines strongly flavoured by comedy the couple had received enough support in the public vote to stay in the contest. Widdecombe was eliminated from the competition on Sunday 5 December after the public vote had been combined with the judges' score; she was with Scott Maslen of EastEnders in the bottom two.

In 2012, Widdecombe hosted a new quiz show for the Sky Atlantic channel, called Cleverdicks. The show ran for one series with 30 one-hour episodes. It featured four contestants, usually high quality members of the UK national quiz circuit and ended with a money round for the winner of each show.[92] In April 2012 Widdecombe presented an hour-long documentary for BBC Radio 5 Live, Drunk Again: Ann Widdecombe Investigates, looking at how the British attitude to alcohol consumption has changed over the last few years.[93][94] It was revealed in October 2012, that the year's Children in Need's appeal night would feature a Strictly Come Dancing special with former show favourites Russell Grant and Widdecombe.[95] On 4 November 2012, Widdecombe guest-hosted one episode of BBC's Songs of Praise programme about singleness.[96]

In October 2014, she appeared in the BBC series Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, partnered with expert Mark Stacey, where the pair beat the rival team of Craig Revel Horwood and Catherine Southon.[97]

Widdecombe took part in a television series 24 Hours in the Past, along with Colin Jackson, Alistair McGowan, Miquita Oliver, Tyger Drew-Honey and Zoe Lucker. The four-part series was aired from 28 April–19 May 2015 on BBC One. She took part in an episode of Tipping Point: Lucky Stars in 2016. In 2017, Widdecombe took part in ITV's Sugar Free Farm.

In January 2018, Widdecombe was the first to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house to participate as a housemate in its twenty-first series.[98] A controversial figure in the house, she was criticised over her comments regarding the Harvey Weinstein controversy[99] as well as comments perceived to be anti-LGBT to her fellow housemates, most notably to drag queen Courtney Act (Shane Jenek).[100][101] She finished the competition in second place as runner-up to Jenek, who became popular with viewers for challenging Widdecombe's comments.[102]

Stage acting career

Following her retirement, Widdecombe made her stage debut, on 9 December 2011, at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford in the Christmas pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, alongside Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood.[103] In April 2012, she had a ten-minute non-singing cameo part in Gaetano Donizetti's comic opera La Fille Du Regiment, playing the Duchesse de Crackentorp.[104] Widdecombe reprised her pantomime performance, again with Revel Horwood, at the Swan Theatre, High Wycombe in December 2012.[105]

Widdecombe stepped in at short notice to play the Evil Queen in the pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Bridlington Spa in December 2016. She replaced Lorraine Chase; who had been injured in an accident two weeks before rehearsals were due to commence. This was Widdecombe's first appearance as a pantomime 'baddie'; a role she told the press she had always hoped for.[106]

In December 2017 Widdecombe played the Empress of China in the pantomime Aladdin at the Marina Theatre in Lowestoft.[107] The production was the theatre's most successful pantomime to date.[108]

Honours

Selected publications

Fiction

  • 2000: The Clematis Tree. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson ISBN 0-297-64572-2
  • 2002: An Act of Treachery. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson ISBN 0-297-64573-0
  • 2005: Father Figure. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson ISBN 0-297-82962-9
  • 2005: An Act of Peace. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson ISBN 0-297-82958-0

Non-fiction

  • 1999: Inspired and Outspoken: the collected speeches of Ann Widdecombe; edited by John Simmons, with a biographical preface by Nick Kochan. London: Politico's Publishing ISBN 1-902301-22-6
  • 2004: The Mass is a Mess, with Martin Kochanski. London: Catholic Writers' Guild

Further reading

  • 2000: Kochan, Nicholas Ann Widdecombe: right from the beginning. London: Politico's Publishing ISBN 1-902301-55-2

References

  1. ↑ "Interpretation (Hansard, 15 June 1999)". hansard.millbanksystems.com.
  2. ↑ Ann Widdecombe set to stand down; BBC News, 7 October 2007
  3. 1 2 "About Ann". annwiddecombe.com. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  4. ↑ "LMH, Oxford - Prominent Alumni". Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  5. ↑ "Have I Got News For You, Series 25 Episode 6 with Hugh Dennis, Gyles Brandreth & Martin Freeman".
  6. ↑ Ashley, Jackie (3 November 2003). "Seeing something of the light at the end of the tunnel". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  7. ↑ "UK General Election results May 1979". Political Science Resources. Richard Kimber. 3 May 1979. Archived from the original on 25 September 2006. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  8. ↑ "UK General Election results June 1983". Political Science Resources. Richard Kimber. 9 June 1983. Archived from the original on 20 March 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  9. ↑ Maidstone and The Weald, UKPollingReport
  10. 1 2 "Ann Widdecombe answers your questions". BBC News. 16 February 1999. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  11. 1 2 Roth, Andrew (20 March 2001). "Ann Widdecombe". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "Widdecombe rejects abortion role". BBC News. 13 June 1998. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  13. ↑ Watt, Nicholas (6 October 2000). "Widdecombe fights back firm". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  14. ↑ "Ann Widdecombe compared to 'Fox hunting – Ban'", Public Whip. Retrieved on 21 March 2009.
  15. ↑ "SNP to vote against Tories on fox hunting ban in England and Wales". STV. 13 July 2015. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  16. ↑ "Switching Lightbulbs won't change the world". Express.co.uk. 21 March 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  17. ↑ "Yes, I am a heretic on global warming". Express.co.uk. 18 June 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  18. ↑ "Article including refutation of any global warming". Express.co.uk. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  19. ↑ "Climate Change Bill — Third Reading (and other amendments)". The Public Whip. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  20. ↑ "Climate change money should go to armed services". Daily Express. 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  21. ↑ "UK Parliament Early day motion 908". Parliament UK. 23 February 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  22. ↑ "UK | Politics | Death penalty call renewed". BBC News. 21 August 2002. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  23. ↑ Roth, Andrew. "Ann (Noreen) WIDDECOMBE" (PDF). Parliamentary Profile Services Ltd: 4. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  24. 1 2 Widdecombe, Ann (24 May 1998). "Protect your sons from legal gay sex at 16". The Mail on Sunday. p. 34.
  25. ↑ "Commons approves bill to lower gay age of consent". The Guardian. London. 11 February 2000. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  26. ↑ "Ann Widdecombe compared to 'Homosexuality – Equal rights'", Public Whip. Retrieved on 24 June 2009.
  27. ↑ Moss, Stephen (6 June 2013). "Ann Widdecombe: 'I wish David Cameron would listen to people'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 8 Feb 2014.
  28. ↑ Widdecombe, Ann (1 February 2012). "Helping those who aren't glad to be gay". The Daily Express. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  29. ↑ Simons, Ned (2 February 2012). "Ann Widdecombe Defends Gay Conversion Therapy". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  30. ↑ "Ann Widdecombe – political sketch". London: BBC Online. 2 June 1998. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  31. ↑ "Ann Widdecombe: Electoral history and profile". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  32. ↑ Groves, Jason (21 October 2009). "Cameron cuties: Tory anger as leader calls for all-women MP shortlists". Daily Mail. London.
  33. ↑ Dale, Iain (3 October 2006). "Taking the media beast to the dragon's den". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  34. ↑ Andrew Williams (11 September 2006). "60 Seconds: Ann Widdecombe". Metro. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
  35. ↑ Marre, Oliver (2 September 2007). "Widdy knows the way to a man's heart". The Observer. London. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
  36. 1 2 3 "Ann Widdecombe set to stand down". BBC News. 8 October 2007. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  37. ↑ "Anne gets taste of council estate life". Islington Gazette. 22 November 2006. Retrieved 28 November 2006.
  38. ↑ Naughton, Philippe; Costello, Miles (20 May 2007). "How your MP voted on the FOI Bill". The Times. London. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  39. ↑ "MPs' expenses: The saints (Part i)". The Daily Telegraph. London. 18 May 2009. Archived from the original on 21 May 2009. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  40. ↑ "Speaker: Runners and riders". BBC. London. 21 May 2009. Archived from the original on 21 May 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
  41. ↑ "Ann Widdecombe seeks Speaker role". BBC News. 11 June 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  42. ↑ "Two left in Commons Speaker race". London: BBC online. 22 June 2009. Archived from the original on 22 June 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
  43. 1 2 Chorley, Matt. "Ann Widdecombe on hating the coalition, doing Big Brother and her rude autobiography". independent.co.uk. London. Archived from the original on 22 June 2012.
  44. ↑ Widdecombe, Ann (16 March 2016). "Here's why I back Brexit - says ANN WIDDECOMBE".
  45. ↑ Widdecombe, Ann (6 July 2016). "Tories NEED to pick Angela Leadsom as leader: ANN WIDDECOMBE calls for LEAVE-backing PM".
  46. ↑ "Ann Widdecombe at". Fantasticfiction.co.uk. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  47. ↑ Wharton, Craig (2 October 2009). "An interview with Ann Widdecombe". The Politics Show. London: BBC. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  48. ↑ Venning, Nicola (21 May 2008). "Division bell rings for retiring Ann Widdecombe". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  49. ↑ Brankin, Una (12 June 2014). "Strictly Ann: Ann Widdecombe on why she'll sue anyone who says she's not a virgin". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  50. ↑ "Widdecombe moves to Haytor at". BBC. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  51. ↑ "Tributes to Malcolm Widdecombe". Pipnjay.org. 13 April 2011. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  52. ↑ "Thanksgiving Service at". Annwiddecombe.com. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  53. ↑ "Ann Widdecombe on BBC "Woman's Hour" at". BBC. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  54. ↑ Glover, Julian; Roth, Andrew. "RIP: Ann Widdecombe's political career". Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2001.
  55. ↑ Roche, Elisa (28 April 2011). "Ann Widdecombe: I regret not having children and losing the love of my life". Express. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  56. 1 2 3 Brockes, Emma (29 March 2004). "'What a stupid question'". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  57. ↑ "Please Wait..." Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  58. ↑ "Ann Widdecombe". www.annwiddecombe.com. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  59. ↑ "Five Minutes With: Ann Widdecombe". BBC News. 16 July 2011.
  60. ↑ Hodgkinson, Will (15 April 2005). "Ann Widdecombe". The Guardian. London.
  61. ↑ Harp, Justin (10 January 2018). "CBB explains how Ann is continuing her outside work". Digital Spy. Retrieved 17 February 2018. Eyebrows were raised for some when the former Tory MP's weekly op-ed piece was published as usual by the Daily Express on Wednesday (January 10), drawing questions about the procedure for her to continue her outside work.
  62. ↑ "Treat children strictly, says dancing star Widdecombe". The Times. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2018. (Subscription required (help)).
  63. ↑ Ross, Tim (6 January 2011). "Ann Widdecombe: lift ban on grammar schools". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  64. ↑ Shepherd, Jessica (5 January 2011). "Grammar school ban must end, Ann Widdecombe urges". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  65. ↑ "Welcome to the Grace Charity for M.E." The Grace Charity for M.E. Archived from the original on 30 October 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  66. ↑ "Safe For Life: Ann Widdecombe Visits Donkey Charity". Good News Shared.
  67. ↑ "Tony Blair joins catholic church". London: bbconline. 22 December 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  68. ↑ "Ann Widdecombe – extended interview by Alyssa McDonald". New Statesman. UK. 19 July 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  69. ↑ "Widdecombe pledges to boycott BA". Metro. 15 October 2006. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  70. ↑ Crampton, Caroline. "Ann Widdecombe rules out Vatican appointment". The New Statesman. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
John Wells		 Member of Parliament
for Maidstone
1987–1997		 Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament
for Maidstone and The Weald
1997–2010		 Succeeded by
Helen Grant
Political offices
Preceded by
John Maples		 Shadow Secretary of State for Health
1998–1999		 Succeeded by
Liam Fox
Preceded by
Norman Fowler		 Shadow Home Secretary
1999–2001		 Succeeded by
Oliver Letwin
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