Nigel Farage pays heartfelt tribute to Reform UK’s late Ann Widdecombe
At the Reform UK conference in Birmingham, Nigel Farage honored the recently deceased Ann Widdecombe, calling her an extraordinary figure in British politics.
Speaking to the Reform UK national executive committee in Birmingham, Nigel Farage led an emotional homage to Ann Widdecombe, who recently passed away. He lauded her as a uniquely irrepressible and extraordinary politician, comparing her prominence to that of Margaret Thatcher. Farage recounted how Widdecombe approached him in 2019 to run as a candidate for the Brexit Party and highlighted her memorable opening speech in the European Parliament.
He also celebrated her broader public life, including a stint on Strictly Come Dancing, her published novels, and theatre tours, emphasizing her willingness to laugh at herself. Farage admitted the brutality of her death remains hard to comprehend and described it as a tremendous shock. He finished by wishing her soul blessings and laid a wreath in Dartmoor on behalf of her many admirers.
Why it matters
The tribute underscores Ann Widdecombe’s influence on UK politics and reflects Reform UK’s efforts to honor a prominent former colleague.
How this story developed
- Aug 27 Marine Le Pen assures French entrepreneurs her policies pose no threat ahead of debate
- Sep 1 The £4 million gift from Ben Delo, a former BitMEX executive convicted of a U.S. banking-secrecy breach and later pardoned by Donald Trump, accounted for three-quarters of Reform UK’s donations in the last quarter. The party, led by Nigel Farage, raised a total of £5.3 million, less than the £9 million-plus it collected in each of the two prior quarters. No contributions were reported from its other major backer, Christopher Harborne, a British-born crypto entrepreneur now based in Thailand. The British government is set to tighten rules on overseas donors, limiting their gifts to £100,000. Parliamentary officials are probing whether a previously undisclosed £5 million from Harborne to Farage breached declaration rules.
- Sep 3 A Medef‑organized debate with seven presidential hopefuls was held at Roland‑Garros.
- Sep 3 Labour moved to refer Reform UK to police over the alleged foreign‑donation breach.
- Sep 4 Metropolitan Police began assessing the allegations.
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