British police arrested a man on Friday on suspicion of murdering Ann Widdecombe after the 78-year-old former government minister and Reform UK politician was found dead having “sustained serious injuries.”

Police said a 26-year-old, white British man had been arrested in Newton Abbot, a town about 9 miles (15 km) from Widdecombe’s home in rural southwest England.

Devon and Cornwall police assistant chief constable Matt Longman said there was no information to suggest the murder was related to terrorism or had a political motive.

Widdecombe was well known for her socially conservative views, first as a junior minister in Conservative Prime Minister John Major’s 1992-1997 government and later as an immigration and justice spokesperson for Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK.

Police said officers were called to Widdecombe’s home shortly after midday on Thursday, where she was found dead. Forensic examinations at the property were ongoing, they said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid tribute to “Ann’s dedication during her many years of public service.”

Two serving British members of parliament have been murdered in the last decade.

The Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by a Nazi-obsessed loner during the Brexit campaign in 2016. The Conservative lawmaker David Amess was stabbed to death in 2021 by a man inspired by the militant group, Islamic State.

Throughout her political career, Widdecombe was known for her socially conservative views, including opposition to abortion and to equalizing the age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual relationships.

She also defended a policy of shackling pregnant prisoners during child birth to prevent their escape.

Although unmarried and a self-proclaimed virgin, the Catholic convert praised family values.

After leaving parliament, she appeared on the TV talent show “Strictly Come Dancing” in 2010. Despite her awkward dancing style and criticism from the judges, she was popular with viewers.

She later joined Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party and served as a member of the European Parliament between 2019 and 2020. Her most recent post was as immigration spokesperson for Reform UK, the rebranded Brexit Party, which leads in most opinion polls.

Following the announcement of her death, and before details of the murder inquiry were announced, former colleagues from both the Conservative and Reform UK parties paid tribute to her.

Former Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson described her in a post on X as “a heroic Brexiteer and a great speaker who could move Tory audiences to such ecstasy that she was a very hard act to follow.”