Veteran journalist Carole Malone writes about the political outrage expressed following Ann Widdecombe's death
The elderly lady at the heart of this tragedy is being lost in what is becoming a hateful media circus, with certain politicians and media outlets lobbing a relentless barrage of abuse at Nigel Farage and Reform UK for daring to voice their horror, their grief, and their anger following the death of a much-loved colleague.
Farage was slated at the weekend for saying he believed Ann's murder was a premeditated attack. Although the facts are still unconfirmed, Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, has now said: "We now have new information and evidence, which means counter terrorism is leading the investigation. We are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry to establish motivation for this attack."
What's beyond disgraceful is that certain politicians and media figures are suggesting Farage and Reform are somehow using Ann's murder for political gain because they dared to suggest it might have been premeditated. And they're saying this because they know Farage is currently under fire about how he's been funding his own personal security.
But Farage can't win whatever he does. Take the fact that he went to Ann's home in Dartmoor at the weekend to lay a wreath. It was suggested by one left-wing radio journalist that he was doing it to get publicity for himself. "There just happened to be a photographer there," he said.
Well, of course there was, dopey. There are photographers and reporters all over the area because there is now a murder investigation following the death of a famous politician.
The fact is, if any other party leader or politician had turned up to lay a wreath after the murder of one of their dearest colleagues, it would be hailed as the right and respectful thing to do. But when Farage does it, he's denounced and accused of having an ulterior motive — a hideous suggestion.
Yet it's a suggestion that's gaining traction in certain sections of the media – coincidentally, those sections that hate Farage and want him destroyed.
There's also the fact that when Reform MPs Richard Tice, Lee Anderson, Zia Yusuf and Danny Kruger all turned up in suits and ties on a sweltering hot day at the weekend to pay their respects, their motives too were sneered at and dismissed as some kind of publicity stunt.
Hell's teeth — they were honouring a much-loved and respected colleague who died in the most horrific way.
Compare and contrast what happened the day after Labour MP Jo Cox was brutally murdered. Then-Prime Minister David Cameron turned up to pay his respects, as did Jeremy Corbyn, along with neighbouring MP Hilary Benn and then-Speaker of the Commons, John Bercow.
No one slated them for paying tribute to a much-loved colleague — nor should they. It was absolutely the right thing to do.
But when Reform turns out in force for their colleague, a woman who helped catapult their party into the public consciousness, the inference is that they're somehow making political hay out of her death.
What the hell is wrong with these left-wingers? Don't they see that public discourse is being poisoned not by Reform, but by them?
While we don't know the circumstances behind Widdecombe's death, the general fact is that people in public life are being increasingly targeted.
Crimes against MPs rocketed last year and included burglary, assault and threats to kill. Three male MPs suffered injuries in an assault, while 19 more were assaulted without sustaining an injury. There were also 105 reports of threats to kill.
Yet, when Nigel Farage dares to say he's worried for his own safety — because he has been attacked numerous times — the establishment sneers at him and accuses him of exaggerating the threat.
"It was only a milkshake," they say of the time he had one thrown in his face by a member of the public.
But the point is, when that cup was flying towards his face, Farage didn't know what was in it. It could have been acid. And next time, it just might be.
And that's the point here: the fears of other MPs are always taken seriously, yet the fears of Reform MPs are not and are dismissed as attention-seeking.
Even the execrable Alastair Campbell jumped on the bandwagon last week to dismiss Farage's security concerns, claiming they were all designed to make him look important. He responded to Ann's murder investigation by condemning those he said were using the tragedy for "performative spectacle" or to spread conspiracy theories.
This is evil stuff. Are Reform members and MPs not allowed to feel fear or grief? Are their opponents really so utterly vile and black-hearted that they think they're entitled to dehumanise and abuse Farage, suggesting he's incapable of feeling grief or fear?
Looking at both Campbell and Farage's comments, I reckon the recesses of Campbell's mind are far blacker than Farage's could ever be.
And there are some who'd say it's people like him who are "politicising" Ann's death by seemingly using it to try to destroy a man they hate and fear in equal measure.
We know MPs have been murdered — Jo Cox and Sir David Amess being the most recent. We also know that the tone of politics has changed. Intimidation and abuse of public figures is now the norm — especially of politicians.
Just look at the disgusting headline in the Socialist Worker last week, which screamed: "Ann Widdecombe is strictly dead. Don't let the media force us to mourn a bigot."
That describes exactly the kind of society we have become. And the hatred isn't coming from the right wing or from Reform.
It's coming from the hard-faced devils on the Left, some of whom last week were literally celebrating the death of an elderly woman just because she had opinions they didn't like.
