Widdecombe Murder Suspect Also Charged With Plotting Terror Attack on Nigel Farage

British counterterrorism prosecutors charged Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on Friday, October 2, with one count of preparation of terrorist acts, according to Counter Terrorism Policing. The charge names Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, as an alleged target and covers conduct police say took place between May 31, 2024, and July 8, 2026.

Kerry is already charged with the murder of Ann Widdecombe, the 78-year-old former Conservative minister who became a Reform UK spokeswoman. According to the Straits Times, prosecutor Kashif Malik told a July court hearing that Kerry drove roughly 500 kilometers from Rotherham to Widdecombe's home in Haytor, Dartmoor, walked through her front door while she was eating lunch, and struck her 21 times in the head with a hammer before taking her wallet and fleeing. Her gardener found her body face down on the kitchen floor the next morning. A provisional cause of death was blunt force injury to the head.

Kerry was arrested on July 11, two days after Widdecombe's body was found, and was charged with murder that month. He is due back at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, October 7.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, called the case the product of a "hugely intensive and complex investigation," run by "a dedicated team of detectives, analysts, and forensic experts, working on multiple lines of enquiry." Chief Crown Prosecutor Frank Ferguson of the CPS's Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division said prosecutors "worked closely with police to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court."

None of the available charging documents or police statements have detailed what specific preparatory conduct toward Farage is alleged. The charge window begins more than a year before Widdecombe's murder, which means prosecutors are alleging a longer pattern than a single attack.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood posted on X that the new charge would be "extremely concerning" and that her "profound sympathies are with Nigel Farage and his family." She added: "Let no one make any mistake: an attack on anyone in politics is an attack on us all. This case raises serious questions about the security of those in public life. We must use this as an opportunity to reset. Once parliament returns, I will update on our work to strengthen protections for those who choose to serve."

A Reform UK source told the BBC: "This is exactly why Nigel needed £5m to protect his security for life." That's a reference to the ongoing parliamentary standards watchdog probe into a £5 million gift Farage received from a billionaire donor before he returned to Parliament in 2024. Farage has said the money was for his personal security. The investigation is a review of whether the gift was properly declared and handled under parliamentary rules, not a criminal case, and no findings have been announced.

Reform deputy leader Richard Tice told BBC Radio 4's Today program that Widdecombe's murder had made "everyone take security more seriously," adding that Farage has "sometimes not been believed, not been listened to." Tice said he has his own security arrangements now and called it "a consequence of the world we live in," arguing the "online world has clearly hindered this whole process." Asked whether heated political rhetoric, including from Reform figures, contributes to public anger, Tice said robust democratic debate "should be completely separate to the way that people respond" and that at the end of a debate "one should be able to shake hands."

In August, Counter Terrorism Policing reopened a year-old investigation into an alleged firebomb attack at Farage's south London home. The Metropolitan Police had investigated the incident as an attempted burglary and made no arrests before closing it. After reopening the case, CTP London said it identified a line of inquiry that "may have been relevant" but "had not been identified and pursued at the time," according to the Irish Times and ITV. Farage told the Daily Telegraph in April that a lit incendiary device had been pushed through his letterbox in early 2025, which he called an "outright arson attempt," and that he was away from home when it happened.

Olivia Field, chief executive of the Jo Cox Foundation, said "no one in public life should have to fear for their safety" and called for more action on "the rising levels of abuse and intimidation in politics." The Straits Times noted Widdecombe is the third UK politician killed this decade, after Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016 and Conservative MP David Amess in 2021.

One framing worth flagging: the Straits Times headline and text describe Farage as the "UK far-right leader," a label not used by the BBC, ITV, Fox News, or the Irish Times, all of which simply identify him as Reform UK's leader. Reform UK is a right-wing populist party, and whether "far-right" is an accurate descriptor is a matter of political dispute, not an agreed fact in this case.

Kerry has not entered a plea on either charge. He is next due in court on October 7.