Ann Widdecombe gave an interview defending Nigel Farage minutes before she was killed last week.
The former Conservative minister was interviewed by Christian radio station TWR at 12.10pm. Police believe she was murdered 20 minutes later.
In her interview, the Reform UK immigration and justice spokesman defended Mr Farage over the two parliamentary investigations into his finances.
The Reform UK leader is under scrutiny after he failed to declare a £5m gift he was given by crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before becoming an MP.
A four-minute clip from the interview was published by Times Radio on Tuesday, with the permission of Ms Widdecombe’s family.
When asked her thoughts about the investigation, she said: “Well, I think first of all the very long, drawn-out nature of this, which, as I say, has been constantly accompanied by press speculation.
“And also the fact, you know, he was answering to the standards committee for one thing, and then suddenly another one came along, again applying to the time before he became an MP, indeed, at a time when he wasn’t even an active politician.
Ann Widdecombe defended Nigel Farage's financial conduct in an interview recorded only 20 minutes before police believe she was attacked.
— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) July 14, 2026
It shows her passionately-held beliefs and long political experience. This excerpt is being published with the permission of Ann's family. pic.twitter.com/QngbDcFIPI
“And he probably thinks, where is this going to end? Let’s bring an end to it, let’s bring this to a head, let’s put it to the people to see what they think of all of this.”
She also accused the Commons standards committee of becoming a “game of personal destructions” and said she no longer takes the register or committee “as seriously as [she] did when [she] was in Parliament”.
The 78-year-old was discovered with serious injuries in her remote Devon home at 11.40am on Thursday, but police believe she was attacked at around 12.30pm on Wednesday, nearly 24 hours before her body was found.
She was due to appear on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright, according to ITV News.
Messages between Ms Widdecombe and a TV producer reveal that she had suddenly stopped replying minutes before police believe the attack took place.
A 28-year-old suspect, who was first detained on Saturday, has been rearrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Police have linked the suspect to a property in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, more than 200 miles from Ms Widdecombe’s home.
CCTV footage showed a man put a “wooden stick” in a car outside the house before driving off on the morning she is believed to have been attacked.
Detectives discovered material suggesting that political ideology could be a factor in the motive, the Times reported, although the inquiry reportedly remains at an early stage.
