13th July 2026
The College is deeply saddened to learn of the death of alumna Ann Widdecombe (1969, PPE).
Ann read PPE at LMH after taking a first degree in Latin at the University of Birmingham. While at LMH she served as secretary and then treasurer of the Oxford Union. After working in industry and as an administrator, in 1987 she entered Parliament and dedicated the subsequent decades of her life to public service, serving as a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010, and then in the European Parliament from 2019-2020. During her time as an MP, Ann held the post of Minister of State for Employment (1994 to 1995), before becoming Minister of State for Prisons (1995 to 1997). She also served in the Shadow Cabinet, first as Shadow Secretary of State for Health (1998 to 1999) and then as Shadow Home Secretary (1999 to 2001). She was appointed to the Privy Council in 1997.
After stepping down from the House of Commons in 2010, Ann later became a vocal supporter of the Vote Leave campaign to withdraw the UK from the European Union (EU). She returned to political life as a candidate for the Brexit Party in the 2019 European Parliamentary Elections, serving until the UK withdrew from the EU in January 2020. Latterly, she joined Reform UK as the party’s Immigration and Justice spokesperson.
Our thoughts are with Ann’s family at this time.
