A manager of a garage in Haytor said he had alerted the force after his colleague noticed ‘something out of the ordinary’ at around 9am on Wednesday, with a dark VW Golf Mk4 reportedly parked in a ‘strange place’.

He said: ‘[The Golf] was at the top of the lane near Ann’s place. If it was a local they would have parked in the car park or one of the lay-bys.

‘He was doing up his walking boots. He was in his late 20s, maybe early 30s. He was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I remember thinking “Why is he parked there?” He was halfway out the lay-by.

‘It didn’t look like he fitted in. You don’t see many late 20s, early 30s men around here. He was heading up in that direction [of Ann’s house].’

Police asked the garage to provide CCTV of the vehicle but they did not have any, it is understood.

Assistant Chief Constable Longman said this morning there was nothing to suggest a wider threat, adding the force had received more than 120 tips with information from the public.

Detectives believe Ms Widdecombe was attacked at around 12.30pm on Wednesday, just half an hour before she was due to appear on TV.

Officers are seen combing for any potential evidence near Ms Widdecombe’s home

Police officers carried out a fingertip search near the property in Haytor, Devon

The body of the 78-year-old Conservative-turned-Reform politician was found in a pool of blood in her kitchen a little less than 24 hours later. An ambulance crew alerted police at 11.40am.

An earlier statement released by Devon and Cornwall Police said: ‘We can confirm that a 28-year-old man was arrested at an address in the South Yorkshire area this evening (July 11) on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe.

‘The suspect, who is a white British national, is now in police custody.

‘Ms Widdecombe’s family have been informed of this development.

‘We were supported by Counter Terrorism Policing North East and South Yorkshire Police who carried out the arrest on behalf of Devon & Cornwall Police.

‘At this time, there is still no information to suggest that this is a terrorism related incident and as a force we retain primacy of the investigation.’

A researcher on the Channel 5 show Ms Widdecombe had been due to speak on had spoken to her on the phone earlier in the afternoon to set up the interview.

After the call, the researcher exchanged messages with Ms Widdecombe, with the last one received at 12.19pm.

The researcher then messaged again at 12.48pm requesting that Ms Widdecombe join the Zoom link in preparation for the remote interview, but she did not reply.

Subsequent voice calls and messages asking if everything was alright went unanswered. Concerns were raised by the show’s research team about the uncharacteristic lack of response from Ms Widdecombe, who was a regular on the show.

They contacted her agent later on Wednesday and followed up again on Thursday.

Amid ongoing calls from police not to speculate, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage made a series of controversial comments as he arrived outside Ms Widdecombe’s home on Saturday and laid a floral tribute.

He claimed the attack on the Reform justice spokesman was ‘premeditated’ and a car arrived at her house minutes before police believe she was allegedly murdered – details not confirmed by detectives.

Mr Farage said on Saturday: ‘One theory doing the rounds is that it was a burglary gone wrong. But a car went onto the drive at approximately 12.25pm on Wednesday.

‘If you were a burglar, would you literally drive your car onto someone’s drive? From what I can see of it, from what I make out, this was premeditated murder.

‘Whether it was politically motivated, whether it was someone with a grudge. I don’t think it pays at this time to speculate.’

A highly placed source told the MoS that Ms Widdecombe’s family ‘don’t want her death hijacked for political purposes’, adding that they ‘are very uneasy’ about Mr Farage being at the scene.

When asked what message he has for her killer, Mr Farage said: ‘There are no words that I can utter that somebody who’s committed this act of barbarity against an innocent 78-year-old lady who wouldn’t harm a fly.

‘I just hope that the killer is caught as quickly as possible and brought to justice, that’s all I can say.

‘Even though we don’t know what the motive is, in a town there is so much ANPR and CCTV that generally these days people are caught pretty quick, but look around you.’

Ms Widdecombe, a Brexiteer and devout Catholic, refused to be cowed by aggressors – even after the murder of fellow MP and ‘best friend in Parliament,’ Sir David Amess, who was fatally stabbed at his constituency surgery in Leigh–on–Sea, Essex in 2021.

Asked last October whether she ever feared being physically attacked because of her beliefs and high profile, Ms Widdecombe said defiantly: ‘No’.

‘I took a very robust attitude,’ she said. ‘In my day, it was the IRA and I suppose I had a slightly faithless attitude.

‘I remember I used to get death threats from time to time. We all did, and my staff would say, “Shall we tell the police?”

‘I’d say, “Put it in the bin” because if the IRA are going to do it, they’re not going to tell you in advance, they’re just going to do it. As they did with Airey Neave [the Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary who was assassinated in a 1979 car bomb as he was leaving the House of Commons].

‘I still take that attitude. I do know that we’re in a slightly different world but I think it’s crucial that MPs and their constituents intermingle freely.’