A large South Yorkshire town and metropolitan borough
Former minister Ann Widdecombe has been found dead at her home in Haytor, Devon. Police have launched a murder inquiry and arrested a 28-year-old man in Rotherham; a 26-year-old arrested earlier has been released. Authorities say there is no information so far suggesting a terrorism or political motive and detectives are continuing enquiries.
Police are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry into the death of Ann Widdecombe, moving Counter Terrorism Policing to lead the investigation after new information and an arrest on terrorism-related suspicion. The 78-year-old former MP was found with serious injuries at her Devon home last Thursday. A 28-year-old man has been rearrested, while other arrests were earlier made.
The death of Ann Widdecombe has prompted a cross-party focus on MPs’ security. Home Secretary Mahmood has offered Nigel Farage a security meeting and emphasised equal protection for all MPs. Counter-terrorism policing now leads the investigation into Widdecombe’s death, with a suspect police say is a white male.
A 78-year-old former Conservative minister, Ann Widdecombe, has been found dead at her Devon home with serious injuries. Police have arrested a white British man in Rotherham; investigators say there is no evidence yet of a political motive, and the inquiry remains ongoing.
The Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs has confirmed its phased hearings, with London and several local areas including Oldham, Bradford and Keighley set to be investigated. Baroness Anne Longfield leads the probe, which will compel institutions to explain what they did to protect children and to review past safeguarding failures.
Humphrey Smith, founder and private figure behind the Samuel Smith Old Brewery, has died at 81. The brewery is famed for rigid rules banning mobile phones, sieving its pubs from modern tech, and operating a network of around 200 pubs across the UK. Locals describe him as a private man with strong ties to Tadcaster, where horse-drawn deliveries and a historic brand survive.
Coastguard rescue officers have worker status, and the MCA plans to stop hourly pay in September to classify CROs as volunteers. MPs, unions, and coastguards are pushing for negotiations amid a growing political row.
Fifteen towns have been shortlisted from nearly 400 applications to become the UK Town of Culture 2028. Each shortlisted town will receive £60,000 to develop full bids, with the winner receiving £3 million to host a year‑long cultural programme in 2028; runners‑up receive £250,000 each. The shortlist includes Ilfracombe, Isle of Bute, Lerwick, Sandown, Strabane, Stockton Town Centre Ward, Corby, Great Yarmouth, Leith, Pontypridd, Port Talbot, Basildon, Birkenhead, Grimsby and Rotherham. The decision will be made by an independent panel early next year.