Editing Ann Widdecombe (section)

==Political career==
In 1974, Widdecombe was personal assistant to [[Michael Ancram]] in the [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February]] and [[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|October]] general elections of that year.<ref name="Roth2"/> From 1976 to 1978, Widdecombe was a [[councillor]] on [[Runnymede (borough)|Runnymede District]] Council in Surrey.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/nov/03/uk.conservatives|title=Seeing something of the light at the end of the tunnel|date=3 November 2003|work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=6 December 2008  | first=Jackie | last=Ashley}}</ref>

She contested the seat of [[Burnley (UK Parliament constituency)|Burnley]] in Lancashire in the [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979 general election]] and then, against [[David Owen]], the [[Plymouth Devonport]] seat in the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983 general election]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge79/i04.htm|title=UK General Election results May 1979|date=3 May 1979|work=Political Science Resources|publisher=Richard Kimber|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925040210/http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge79/i04.htm|archive-date=25 September 2006|access-date=16 November 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge83/i16.htm|title=UK General Election results June 1983|date=9 June 1983|work=Political Science Resources|publisher=Richard Kimber|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080320065802/http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge83/i16.htm|archive-date=20 March 2008|access-date=16 November 2008}}</ref> In 1983 she, with [[Lady Olga Maitland]] and [[Virginia Bottomley]], co-founded [[Women and Families for Defence]], a group founded in opposition to the anti-nuclear [[Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Lorna |title=The battle of Greenham Common is over. But their spirit still burns |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/aug/20/lornamartin.theobserver |work=The Guardian |date=19 August 2006}}</ref>

Widdecombe was first elected to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], for the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]], in the [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987 general election]] as member for the constituency of [[Maidstone (UK Parliament constituency)|Maidstone]] (which became [[Maidstone and The Weald]] in 1997).<ref>[http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/maidstoneandtheweald Maidstone and The Weald] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527023141/http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/maidstoneandtheweald/ |date=27 May 2022 }}, UKPollingReport</ref>

===In government===
[[File:Ann Widdecombe as a Minister of State.jpg|thumb|Official Portrait {{Circa|1995–1997}}]]
Widdecombe joined Prime Minister [[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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/talking_politics/104160.stm|title=Ann Widdecombe&nbsp;– political sketch |work=BBC Online |access-date=17 June 2009 |date=2 June 1998 |location=London}}</ref>

In 1996, Widdecombe, as prisons minister, defended the Government's policy to [[Use of restraints on pregnant women|shackle pregnant prisoners]] with handcuffs and chains when in hospital receiving prenatal care. Widdecombe told the Commons that the restrictions were needed to prevent prisoners from escaping the hospital. "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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chaining-women-backed-1323238.html|title=Chaining women backed|date=10 January 1996|work=The Independent|access-date=20 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101012143641/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chaining-women-backed-1323238.html|archive-date=12 October 2010 |url-status=live|location=London}}</ref><ref name="Hague's head girl">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/mar/18/fiction1|title=Hague's head girl|date=18 March 2000|work=The Guardian|access-date=20 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100916011112/http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2000/mar/18/fiction1|archive-date=16 September 2010 |url-status=live|location=London}}</ref>

===Shadow Cabinet===
In May 1997, in the context of an inquiry into a series of prison escapes, Widdecombe remarked of former Home Secretary [[Michael Howard]], under whom she had served, that there was "something of the night about him".<ref>{{cite news|title=Widdecombe goes for the jugular|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/widdecombe-goes-for-the-jugular-1261224.html?amp|last1=Sengupta|first1=Kim|date=12 May 1997|work=The Independent|last2=Abrams|first2=Fran|access-date=3 April 2017}}</ref>
This much-quoted comment is thought to have contributed to the failure of Howard's 1997 campaign for the [[1997 Conservative Party leadership election|Conservative Party leadership]], a sentiment shared by both Howard himself and Widdecombe. It led to him being caricatured as a [[vampire]], in part due to his Romanian ancestry.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8435904.stm|title=Ann Widdecombe 'tested out' Howard quip|work=BBC News|date=31 December 2009|access-date=3 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Crick|first=Michael|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/mission-accomplished-how-howard-was-knifed-757lktbmgdt|title='Mission accomplished': how Howard was knifed|work=The Times|date=30 March 2005|access-date=3 April 2017}} {{subscription required}} Extract from Crick's book ''In search of Michael Howard''.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Holland|first1=David|title=Interview with a Vampire|url=https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2011/05/03/interview-with-a-vampire-2630|work=The Tab|date=3 May 2011}}</ref>  Howard became the official 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."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ann-widdecombe-fury-mep-says-16242224|title=Ann Widdecombe: Fury as MEP says 'science may produce an answer' to being gay|date=2 June 2019|work=Daily Mirror|access-date=2 June 2019|location=UK}}</ref>

After the Conservative landslide defeat at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]], she served as [[Shadow Health Secretary]] between 1998 and 1999 and later as [[Shadow Home Secretary]] from 1999 to 2001 under the leadership of [[William Hague]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/5516/ann-widdecombe|title=Ann Widdecombe: Electoral history and profile|work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=22 August 2009 }}</ref>

===Leadership contest and backbenches===
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 [[Shadow Cabinet of Iain Duncan Smith|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 2001, when [[Michael Portillo]] was running for leader of the Conservative Party, Widdecombe described him and his allies as "[[wikt:backbiter|backbiters]]" due to his alleged destabilising influence under Hague.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk" /><ref name="Heppell2007">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4G0AAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA143|title=Choosing the Tory Leader: Conservative Party Leadership Elections from Heath to Cameron|author=Timothy Heppell|date=28 November 2007|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-0-85771-134-2|page=143}}</ref> She went on to say that, should he be appointed leader, she would never give him her allegiance.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk" /> This was amidst a [[homophobic]] campaign led by socially conservative critics of Portillo.<ref name="Heppell2007" />

In the [[2005 Conservative Party (UK) leadership election|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 (British politician)|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/10899823/Ann-Widdecombe-Id-rather-form-my-own-party-than-join-Ukip.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/10899823/Ann-Widdecombe-Id-rather-form-my-own-party-than-join-Ukip.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Ann Widdecombe: 'I'd rather form my own party than join Ukip' |last=Llewellyn Smith |first=Julia |date=15 June 2014 |website=The Telegraph |access-date=September 8, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> 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 (British politician)|Michael Brown]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dale|first1=Iain|title=Taking the media beast to the dragon's den|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/oct/03/whenyouvegotnothingtowrit|access-date=17 February 2018|work=The Guardian|date=3 October 2006}}</ref>

In an interview with ''[[Metro (British newspaper)|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.<ref>{{cite news |author=Andrew Williams |title=60 Seconds: Ann Widdecombe |url=http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/interviews/article.html?in_article_id=19578&in_page_id=11 |work=Metro |date=11 September 2006 |access-date=6 September 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070926225229/http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/interviews/article.html?in_article_id=19578&in_page_id=11| archive-date= 26 September 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> She confirmed her intention to stand down to ''[[The Observer]]'''s Pendennis diary in September 2007,<ref name="Pendennis">{{cite news |last=Marre |first=Oliver |title=Widdy knows the way to a man's heart |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/7days/story/0,,2160786,00.html |work=The Observer |location=London |date=2 September 2007 |access-date=7 October 2007 }}</ref> and again in October 2007 after Prime Minister [[Gordon Brown]] quashed speculation of an autumn 2007 general election.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7032992.stm |work=BBC News  |title=Ann Widdecombe set to stand down | date=8 October 2007 |access-date=25 April 2010}}</ref>

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."<ref>{{cite web | title=Anne gets taste of council estate life | date=22 November 2006 | access-date=28 November 2006 | work=Islington Gazette |url=http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/content/islington/gazette/news/story.aspx?brand=ISLGOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsislg&itemid=WeED22%20Nov%202006%2013%3A00%3A30%3A717}}</ref>

In 2007 Widdecombe was one of the 98 MPs who voted to keep their expense details secret.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1816072.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508020947/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1816072.ece|archive-date=8 May 2009|work=The Times |location=London |title=How your MP voted on the FOI Bill |date=20 May 2007|first1=Philippe |last1=Naughton |first2=Miles |last2=Costello}}</ref> When the expenses claims [[United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal|were leaked]], however, Widdecombe was described by ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' as one of the "saints" amongst all MPs.<ref name="TGEx">{{cite news |title = MPs' expenses: The saints (Part i) |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5342811/MPs-expenses-The-saints-Part-i.html?image=5|date=18 May 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090521124714/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5342811/MPs-expenses-The-saints-Part-i.html?image=5| archive-date= 21 May 2009 | url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2009, following the resignation of [[Michael Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn|Michael Martin]] as [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]], it was reported that Widdecombe was gathering support for election as interim Speaker until the next general election.<ref>{{cite news |title=Speaker: Runners and riders|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8057450.stm |work=BBC |date=21 May 2009 |access-date=21 May 2009 |location=London| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090521094143/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8057450.stm| archive-date= 21 May 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> On 11 June 2009, she confirmed her bid to be the Speaker,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8094377.stm |work=BBC News  | title=Ann Widdecombe seeks Speaker role | date=11 June 2009 | access-date=25 April 2010}}</ref> but came last in the second ballot and was eliminated.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8111887.stm |title=Two left in Commons Speaker race |access-date=22 June 2009 |date=22 June 2009 |publisher=BBC online |location=London| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090622191726/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8111887.stm| archive-date= 22 June 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>

Widdecombe retired from politics at the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]]. It was rumoured that she would be a Conservative candidate for [[Police and Crime Commissioner]] in 2012, but she refused. She since spoke about her opposition to the Coalition Government and her surprise at not being given a peerage by [[David Cameron]].<ref name="chorley">{{cite news|url=http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/15/ann-widdecombe-on-hating-the-coalition-doing-big-brother-and-her-rude-autobiography/ |title=Ann Widdecombe on hating the coalition, doing Big Brother and her rude autobiography |work=independent.co.uk |location=London |first=Matt |last=Chorley |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622114535/http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/15/ann-widdecombe-on-hating-the-coalition-doing-big-brother-and-her-rude-autobiography/ |archive-date=22 June 2012 }}</ref>

In 2016, she supported [[Brexit]] during the [[2016 EU referendum]] and, following the resignation of [[David Cameron]], endorsed [[Andrea Leadsom]] in her candidacy for [[2016 Conservative Party (UK) leadership election|election for the leadership of the governing Conservative Party]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.express.co.uk/comment/columnists/ann-widdecombe/652956/Why-I-back-Brexit-Ann-Widdecombe|title=Here's why I back Brexit – says ANN WIDDECOMBE|first=Ann|last=Widdecombe|date=16 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.express.co.uk/comment/columnists/ann-widdecombe/686700/Andrea-Leadsom-picked-Tory-prime-minister-MPs-Brexit|title=Tories NEED to pick Angela Leadsom as leader: ANN WIDDECOMBE calls for LEAVE-backing PM|first=Ann|last=Widdecombe|date=6 July 2016}}</ref>

===Return to politics – Brexit Party===
In 2019 she returned to politics as a candidate for the [[Brexit Party]] in the [[2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|European parliament elections]] in [[South West England (European Parliament constituency)|South West England]], which were held on 23 May, though she maintained that she would still vote for the Conservatives in the local elections that took place three weeks before.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|date=24 April 2019|title=Ann Widdecombe to stand for Brexit Party|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48034732|access-date=24 April 2019|work=BBC News}}</ref> She was expelled by the Conservative Party immediately after her announcement.<ref name="expelled">{{cite news |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1118490/Brexit-news-UK-Brexit-Party-Ann-Widdecombe-Conservative-Party-Farage-European-elections |title=Ann Widdecombe reveals she has been EXPELLED from Tories after defection to Brexit Party |work=Express online |date=24 April 2019 |access-date=14 May 2019}}</ref> Widdecombe had considered joining the Brexit Party in March 2019, but joined later, in May.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDF9o0aBtRE| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211122/bDF9o0aBtRE| archive-date=2021-11-22 | url-status=live|title=Iain Dale Interviews: Ann Widdecombe| date=21 November 2019|via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Widdecombe said that her decision to stand resulted from the Government's failure to deliver Britain's departure from the EU on schedule. "Both major parties need a seismic shock," she said, "to see the extent of public disgust."<ref name="expelled" /><ref name="BBC" /> She subsequently won her seat.<ref>{{cite news |title=Brexit Party's Ann Widdecombe wins South West seat |work=BBC News |date=27 May 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-48417344 |access-date=14 June 2019}}</ref>

Widdecombe became a member of the [[European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs]] (LIBE).<ref>{{Cite web|title=EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT - PARLEMENT EUROPEEN - Conference of Presidents - C01 AFET|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sed/doc/news/flash/22641/List%20of%20committees_for%20CoP_rev3_en.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704204137/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/sed/doc/news/flash/22641/List%20of%20committees_for%20CoP_rev3_en.pdf|archive-date=4 July 2019|website=[[European Parliament]]}}</ref>

Widdecombe stood as a candidate for [[Plymouth Sutton and Devonport]] in the [[2019 UK general election]], coming a distant third but just retaining her deposit with 5.5% of the vote. [[Nigel Farage]] said that she was told by the Conservative Party that she would be part of their Brexit negotiations if she stood down as a candidate.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/14/nigel-farage-says-he-is-unlikely-to-vote-for-any-party-in-election|title=Ann Widdecombe 'was offered Brexit talks role to stand down as Farage candidate'|work=The Guardian|date=14 November 2019 |access-date=22 November 2019}}</ref>