Tragically, the former MP, Ann Widdecombe, was found dead on the 9th July, 2026. A man has been charged with her murder.

Some may remember that she spoke very eloquently at the Falsely Accused Day in September 2023 – justice was clearly a subject close to her heart. Someone who knows that more than anyone is FACT President, Harvey Proctor who, in a Times article, pays tribute to a friend who offered kindness and public support through false allegations, and defended the foundations of justice.

When I lost everything, Ann Widdecombe stood beside me

The death of Ann Widdecombe marks the passing of one of the last politicians who believed that principle mattered more than popularity.

She was, of course, many things: a formidable parliamentarian, a woman of profound Christian faith and conviction, an accomplished author and broadcaster and someone who never sought the comfort of fashionable opinion.

She spoke her mind, often to the irritation of opponents and sometimes even allies. Yet, whether one agreed with her or not, there was never any doubt about the sincerity of her beliefs.

It is easy in the days following her death to celebrate those qualities in general terms. I remember them for a far more personal reason.

When I became caught up in the grotesque injustice of Operation Midland, much of public life fell silent. Allegations that would later be exposed as heinous lies were treated as established fact. My reputation, painstakingly built over decades, was destroyed almost overnight. I lost my home, my livelihood and, for a time, I thought my entire life would be extinguished.

Many people who knew me, and many who privately doubted what was unfolding, chose discretion over courage. They calculated that association with someone under suspicion carried greater risk than remaining silent while obvious injustice took its course.

Ann Widdecombe made a different calculation. She understood that the presumption of innocence is not an inconvenience to be discarded in difficult cases but one of the foundations of a civilised society. She recognised that due process exists precisely because public opinion can be wrong, institutions can fail and allegations are not evidence.

She was one of the very few members of parliament prepared to say so publicly.

Her support was never loud or theatrical. It was something far rarer. It was principled. She offered practical advice and support, personal kindness and public solidarity when these things carried political cost rather than reward. She neither sought headlines nor applause. She simply believed that justice demanded it.

That commitment never left her. In September 2023, long after Operation Midland had been comprehensively discredited and after I had received an apology and compensation from the Metropolitan Police, Ann attended a demonstration outside New Scotland Yard to mark Falsely Accused Day.

She stood alongside those whose lives had been devastated by false allegations and miscarriages of justice, reminding the public that innocent people can lose everything long before any court reaches a verdict.

Some misunderstood her position, as they often did. Defending the presumption of innocence does not diminish genuine victims of crime. On the contrary, justice depends upon fairness for everyone. A criminal justice system that abandons impartiality ultimately fails victims as well as the accused.

Ann grasped that distinction instinctively. She also recognised something that many in politics have forgotten: compassion is not reserved only for those whom public opinion has chosen to embrace. It extends equally to those whom society has judged too quickly and too harshly.

Ann possessed a moral courage that is increasingly rare in public life: the willingness to defend what is right when doing so carries personal or political cost.

As tributes rightly celebrate her distinguished career, I hope she will also be remembered for something less visible but, to me, no less important. At a time when justice was eclipsed by hysteria, she refused to confuse allegation with guilt, popularity with principle or silence with wisdom.

Public life — and indeed our justice system — would be stronger if more people followed her example. For that, and for her friendship, I shall remain forever grateful.

Harvey Proctor was a Conservative MP between 1979 and 1987

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Attribution: The original Times article can be found here

Obituary: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/ann-widdecombe-obituary-death-ps8jtq8qj