Widdecombe’s death was announced by her management agency early on Friday morning without mention of any suspicious circumstances.
By afternoon, Devon and Cornwall Police had issued a statement, revealing that a murder investigation had been launched and they were looking for a suspect believed to be a white British man.
Laying a wreath at Dartmoor National Park, close to Widdecombe’s home, Farage told reporters that she was a “remarkable individual” and “the fiercest defender of free speech”.
He added that Reform was “doing everything we can to support the police in every way”.
Widdecombe’s long-time driver, Peter Horrall, also laid flowers near the scene on Saturday, telling the BBC that he “just couldn’t believe” what had happened.
“She was a great lady, very kind,” he said, adding that “if you asked her a question, you’d get an answer – no mucking about”.
Other local residents have been reeling following news of the attack, with one woman who lives near Widdecombe’s home telling PA news agency the area was “very safe” and it was not unusual for people to leave their cars and front doors unlocked.
“My husband saw her a week ago, driving around,” Christine Maloney said, adding she was “very shocked” by news of her death.
“Everyone saw her as quite an opinionated politician, but to us she was just a person in the community,” said another resident, Alison Gilbert.
“First of all, we got back and saw police and thought maybe it was a burglary, a lot of us suspected she had a heart attack or something,” she said.
“She didn’t deserve to die like that,” added her husband, Simon.
