Ann Widdecombe would still be alive today if police properly probed firebomb attack on my home, blasts Nigel Farage

Next NIGEL Farage has said Ann Widdecombe “would still be alive” today if police had properly investigated an attack on his home the year before her murder. The Reform UK boss also claimed Government ministers would “rather I be dead” than give him the security he needs. 8 Nigel Farage has claimed Government ministers would ‘rather I be dead’ than give him the security he needs Credit: Edward Sumner 8 The Reform UK leader said Ann Widdecombe ‘would still be alive’ today if police had properly investigated an attack on his home the year before her murder Credit: London News Pictures Advertisement Former Tory minister turned Strictly star Ms Widdecombe, 78, was found bludgeoned to death at her home in Devon in July. Joshua Kerry , 28, has been charged with her murder. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. Since being in custody Kerry has also been charged with trying to firebomb Mr Farage’s home in April 2025 — more than a year before Ms Widdecombe was killed. Mr Farage told The Sun on Sunday: “I’m sorry to say, had the police done their job with me I think Ann would still be alive. READ MORE ON NIGEL FARAGE 'TERROR PLOT' Ann Widdecombe killing 'inextricably linked' to Nigel firebombing, court told FARAGE OFF! Kemi shuts down ‘Unite the Right’ pact & urges Reform voters to come 'home' “Why do you think counter- terrorism police have referred themselves to the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) for the first time in history? “The bloke given the CCTV didn’t look at it. Why not? Because it’s me. Who gives a f**k about me?” Mr Farage slammed ministers for failing to give him security despite his pleas for protection. He said: “I’ve had this now for years. These threats have been constant since 2013. I’m the most physically attacked and verbally attacked person of modern times. Advertisement Most read in The Sun FEELING LUCKY? Lotto results LIVE: National Lottery numbers tonight, October 10, 2026 FINAL CALL Trump says HE ALONE will decide if terrorist's execution is live-streamed JANE ATKINSON I wish Mark & Kelly the best but when office romance fails it is CATASTROPHIC TONY PARSONS If Kemi won't join forces with Reform she needs to annihilate them. I know how 8 Police cordon in place outside Anne Widdicombe’s home following her murder Credit: Neil Hope 8 ‘I’m sorry to say, had the police done their job with me I think Ann would still be alive’, said Nigel Credit: Getty “But these have always been belittled. It’s appalling. “I’ve had to live surrounded by security now for well over a decade. There’s no way around it. “The Government has consistently refused to provide me with security.” Advertisement Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to address Parliament tomorrow about the security of politicians in the wake of Kerry’s most recent charge. But asked if he thought the Government would change its mind and give him security now, Mr Farage replied: “I think they would rather I be dead.” Mr Farage, 62, who has three children and four grandchildren, said he worried more for his family than for himself. He is currently under investigation by Parliament’s standards watchdog over a £5million donation he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Mr Farage has said the money is for his personal security and did not need to be declared as it was donated before he became an MP. Advertisement Defending his acceptance of the cash, the party boss said he expects to have threats made against him for the rest of his life. “You are never safe — even when you’re retired,” he said, grimly. And he added that he would tell anyone with children today not to bother going into politics because of the risks. His astonishingly frank words are the first time he has spoken since Ms Widdecombe’s murder and the attack on his home 14 months before were linked. 8 The Sun on Sunday joined Farage on the road as campaigned across Lancashire Credit: Edward Sumner Advertisement 8 Farage with The Sun’s Kate Ferguson Credit: Edward Sumner Mr Farage spoke out as The Sun on Sunday joined him on the campaign trail in Accrington, Lancs , on Thursday. He is convinced that PM Andy Burnham will call an early election next May and has put Reform on an “emergency” footing to prepare. “We are working round the clock”, Mr Farage tells me, flashing his signature massive grin. He argues that Mr Burnham is now trapped between left-wing Labour MPs who will not let him make spending cuts on the one hand and a “worsening economic climate” on the other. Advertisement Mr Farage predicts: “He’ll look at it and say: ‘This is going to get worse.’ And he will call a vote.” As we talk, Mr Farage, is clutching a bag containing the applications of 200 would-be Reform candidates. He has already kicked off a national tour of Reform target areas. Last week was Doncaster. Today it is Accrington. Walking down the high street, locals dash over to take photos with Mr Farage and shake his hand. Others stand outside shops filming. Advertisement One woman who stops for a selfie tells Mr Farage she fears for Britain’s future and this is “our last chance” to change. A man in his 80s has a go at the revolving door of Tory and Labour governments who don’t seem to bother about areas like his. He tells Mr Farage: “We have been sold down the river. It’s as simple as that.” A few others are not so welcoming. One man loudly accuses Mr Farage of doing “the devil’s work”. But on the whole these voters love him. We are in the heart of the Red Wall, and these are his people. Advertisement “The Tories have given up on the Red Wall”, Mr Farage says gleefully. “They lost a lot of seats last time. Now they are not even in the game.” The day before we meet, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch used her conference speech to launch a blistering attack on Reform — and rule out an electoral deal with the party. She slammed Reform MP Suella Braverman for questioning whether non-white people can be English. In what was her most savage attack on Reform, Mrs Badenoch said she does not want to live in a country led by people “who debate whether my mixed-race children are English”. Advertisement But Mr Farage hit back at the Tory leader — accusing her of trying to paint Reform as racist because they are an electoral threat. “It’s the oldest trick in the book, isn’t it?”, he said. “They are very scared of us.” Asked if he agrees with Ms Braverman’s comments, he said she was speaking “personally” and it is not for him to tell her if she should feel English or not. 8 The Reform leader is convinced that PM Andy Burnham will call an early election next May and has put Reform on an ’emergency’ footing to prepare Credit: Edward Sumner 8 Farage reckons the Tories have given up on the red wall Credit: Edward Sumner Advertisement He branded Mrs Badenoch and her team a “Thatcher tribute act” who are stuck in the 1980s — just as Andy Burnham is stuck in the 1970s. So what does Mr Farage think of his main rival — Mr Burnham? He concedes that the new PM is more charismatic than Sir Keir Starmer , but claims he is hamstrung by his own nostalgia for a bygone era that never really existed. Bestowing a new nickname on the PM, Mr Farage declared: “He is out-of-date Andy”. Asked what will happen if Mr Burnham tries to overturn the EU referendum result , Mr Farage said: “I’ll win the election.” Advertisement RECOMMENDED STORIES The next election is shaping up to be a battle royale — with Reform and the Tories scrapping it out to be Labour’s main opponent. With chatter of an early election growing ever louder, we may not have to wait long to find out.