{{Infobox Politician
| name=The Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe MP
| image=Ann Widdecombe.jpg
| imagesize=200px
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1947|10|4|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], [[Somerset]], [[England]]
| office = [[Shadow Home Secretary]]
| party_leader = [[William Hague]]
| term_start = [[2 September]] [[1998]]
| term_end = [[18 September]] [[2001]]
| predecessor = [[Norman Fowler]]
| successor = [[Oliver Letwin]]
| office2 = Shadow [[Secretary of State for Health]]
| term_start2 = [[2 June]] [[1997]]
| term_end2 = [[2 December]] [[1998]]
| predecessor2 = [[John Maples]]
| successor2 = [[Liam Fox]]
| office3 = [[Home Office]] Minister in Charge of Prisons
| primeminister3 = [[John Major]]
| term_start3 = [[9 April]] [[1992]]
| term_end3 = [[2 May]] [[1997]]
| successor3 = Office Abolished
| party = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]
| religion = [[Roman Catholic]]
}}
'''Ann Noreen Widdecombe''' (born [[4 October]] [[1947]]) is a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] [[politician]] and, more recently, [[television]] [[presenter]] and [[novelist]]. She is the [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Maidstone and The Weald (UK Parliament constituency)|Maidstone and The Weald]] and a [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Counsellor]]. She is a prominent member of the [[Conservative Christian Fellowship]] and an outspoken supporter of traditional [[family values]].

==Early life==
Born in [[Bath, Somerset]], Widdecombe is the daughter of a minor Ministry of Defence [[Civil Servant]]. She attended the Royal Navy School, [[Singapore]],<ref name="BBCRet">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7032992.stm Ann Widdecombe set to stand down]; ''[[BBC News]]'', [[7 October]] [[2007]]</ref> and a [[Convent]] School in Bath. She then read [[Latin]] at [[Birmingham University]] and later attended [[Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford]] to read [[Philosophy, Politics, and Economics|PPE]].

===Councillor===
From 1976 to 1978, Widdecombe was a [[Runnymede (borough)|Runnymede District]] [[Councillor]]. She contested the seat of [[Burnley (UK Parliament constituency)|Burnley]] in [[United Kingdom general election, 1979|1979]] and then [[Plymouth Devonport (UK Parliament constituency)|Plymouth Devonport]] in [[United Kingdom general election, 1983|1983]] against [[David Owen]].

==Member of Parliament==
She was first elected to the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] in the [[United Kingdom general election, 1987|1987 UK general election]] as member for the constituency of [[Maidstone (UK Parliament constituency)|Maidstone]] (which became [[Maidstone and The Weald (UK Parliament constituency)|Maidstone and The Weald]] in 1997).

===In government===
Widdecombe joined [[John Major]]'s government as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security in 1991. After the [[United Kingdom general election, 1992|1992 general election]], she became the [[Home Office]] Minister in Charge of Prisons, and in that role visited every single prison.

===Shadow Cabinet===
After the fall of the Conservative government to [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] in 1997 she served as shadow [[Secretary of State for Health|Health Secretary]] and later shadow [[Home Secretary]] under [[William Hague]].

===Leadership contest and backbenches===
During the [[Conservative Party (UK) leadership election, 2001|2001 Conservative leadership election]], she could not find sufficient Conservative MPs to support her as a leadership candidate. She first supported [[Michael Ancram]], who was eliminated in the first round, and then [[Kenneth Clarke]], who lost in the final round. She afterwards declined to serve in an [[Iain Duncan Smith]] [[shadow cabinet]] (although she indicated prior to the leadership contest that she wished to retire to the [[backbenches]] anyway).

In the 2005 leadership election, she initially supported Kenneth Clarke again. Once he was eliminated, she turned support towards [[Liam Fox]]. Following Fox's subsequent elimination, she took time to reflect before finally declaring for [[David Davis (British politician)|David Davis]]. She expressed reservations over the eventual winner [[David Cameron]], feeling that he did not have a proven track record like the other candidates for leadership, and she has been a leading figure in parliamentary opposition to his A List policy which she has said is "an insult to women".<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/text/article.html?in_article_id=401718&in_page_id=1770&in_main_section=&in_sub_section=&in_chn_id= http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/text/article.html?in_article_id=401718&in_page_id=1770&in_main_section=&in_sub_section=&in_chn_id=] ''Dailymail.co.uk'' </ref>

In an interview with ''[[Metro (Associated Metro Limited)|Metro]]'' in September 2006 she stated that if the parliament was of a normal length it was likely she would go at the next General Election.<ref>{{cite news |author=Andrew Williams |title=60 SECONDS: Ann Widdecombe |url=http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/interviews/article.html?in_article_id=19578&in_page_id=11 |work=[[Metro (Associated Metro Limited)|Metro]] |date=[[11 September]] [[2006]] |accessdate=2007-09-06 }}</ref> She confirmed her intention to stand down to ''[[The Observer]]'''s Pendennis diary in September 2007.<ref name="Pendennis">{{cite news |author=Oliver Marre |title=Widdy knows the way to a man's heart |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/7days/story/0,,2160786,00.html |work=[[The Observer]] |date=[[2 September]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-10-07 }}</ref>

At the October 2006 Conservative Conference, she was Chief Dragon in a political version of [[Dragons' Den]], in which A-list candidates were invited to put forward a policy proposal which was then torn apart by her team of [[Rachel Elnaugh]], [[Oliver Letwin]] and [[Michael Brown (UK politician)|Michael Brown]].<ref>[http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/iain_dale/2006/10/when_youve_got_nothing_to_writ.html http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/iain_dale/2006/10/when_youve_got_nothing_to_writ.html] ''Commentisfree.guardian.co.uk'' </ref>

===Announced retirement===
In October 2007, she announced that she would stand down from parliament at the next general election after Prime Minister [[Gordon Brown]] squashed speculation of an Autumn 2007 general election. Before her announcement, it was speculated she was considering standing once again in order to thwart any attempt to parachute someone from the A List in her constituency.<ref name="BBCRet"/>

==Personal life==
===Political views===
Widdecombe is a committed Christian who has made it clear that her views on some issues reflect this - for instance, she would refuse to be health secretary as long as this involved overseeing [[abortion]]s. Along with [[John Gummer]] MP, she changed denomination from the [[Church of England]] to the [[Roman Catholic Church]] following the decision that women could become priests.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/112152.stm</ref> She called for a [[zero tolerance]] policy of prosecution - albeit with only fines as the punishment - for users of [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] in her speech at the 2000 Conservative conference, which was well-received by rank-and-file Conservative delegates. However, she alleges that someone connected with [[Francis Maude]] promptly contacted journalists to alert them that fellow Conservative cabinet members were prepared to come out and indicate "something of ambivalence" towards their own past experiences with this drug.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/963393.stm</ref>

On the 2007 ITV programme, ''An Exploration of Faith'', Widdecombe again emphasised her Catholic faith, citing her ardent belief in its doctrines, such as transubstantiation, and also condemning secularism as the enemy of modern society.

In 2003, together with fellow Roman Catholic MP [[Edward Leigh]], Widdecombe proposed an amendment opposing repeal of [[Section 28]] of the [[Local Government Act 1988|Local Government Act]], which banned the promotion of homosexuality. Out of the 14 Parliamentary votes considered by the [[Public Whip]] website to concern equal rights for homosexuals, Widdecombe has taken the opposing position in 12 cases, not being present at the other two votes.<ref>[http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1701&dmp=826 http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1701&dmp=826] ''Publicwhip.org.uk'' </ref>

She is a committed animal lover and one of the few Conservative MPs to have consistently voted for the ban on [[fox hunting]].

===Controversies===
Widdecombe has occasionally stirred up controversy with her words and policies. When the voters of [[Eastbourne (UK Parliament constituency)|Eastbourne]] returned a [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] candidate, in the [[by-election]] caused by the assassination of [[Ian Gow]], Widdecombe told them "the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] would be toasting their success".

She also made headlines for her policy of applying the standards for handcuffing prisoners in transit to pregnant women, even on visits to hospitals. Widdecombe claimed that this was necessary because of the risk of their absconding.

During the Conservative leadership election that picked William Hague, Widdecombe spoke out against [[Michael Howard]], under whom she had served when he was Home Secretary. She famously remarked "there is something of the night about him". It was considered to be extremely damaging, and Howard was frequently portrayed as a [[vampire]] in satire from that time on,<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,1319967,00.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,1319967,00.html] ''Guardian.co.uk'' </ref> and came last in the poll. However, he went on to become party leader in 2003, and Ann Widdecombe said "I explained fully what my objections were in 1997 and I do not retract anything I said then. But this is 2005 and we have to look to the future and not the past."<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/webchats/webchat.html?in_page_id=1868&in_article_id=343672 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/webchats/webchat.html?in_page_id=1868&in_article_id=343672] ''Dailymail.co.uk'' </ref>

Widdecombe is also known to oppose financial help from the state for older carers who have passed retirement age.<ref>http://www.yours.co.uk/nav?page=Yours.contentspage&view_resource=5296590</ref>

===Work outside Parliament===
Her non-political accomplishments include being a popular [[novelist]]. In 2002, she took part in the ITV programme ''[[Celebrity Fit Club (UK TV series)|Celebrity Fit Club]]''. In March of 2004 she briefly became the ''[[Guardian]]'' newspaper's [[agony aunt]], introduced with an [[Emma Brockes]] interview.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1179972,00.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1179972,00.html] ''Guardian.co.uk'' </ref> In 2005 BBC Two showed six episodes of ''The Widdecombe Project'', an agony aunt television programme. In 2005, she appeared in a new series of Celebrity Fit Club, but this time as a panel member dispensing wisdom and advice to the celebrities taking part. Also in 2005, she presented a show ''[[Ann Widdecombe to the Rescue]]'' in which she acted as an agony aunt, dispensing no-nonsense advice to disputing families, couples, and others across the UK. She was also a guest host of news quiz ''[[Have I Got News for You]]'' in 2006, and hosted the programme again in November 2007, (she and [[Kirsty Young]], are the only two women to have hosted the show more than once) when she disclosed that her cat was called Arbuthnott. Widdecombe vowed she would never appear on Have I Got News For You again after comments made by panellist [[Jimmy Carr]] during her second appearance on the programme. She wrote, "His idea of wit is a barrage of filth and the sort of humour most men grow out of in their teens ... [T]here's no amount of money for which I would go through those two recording hours again. At one stage I nearly walked out."<ref>Ann Widdecombe in the ''Daily Express'', as quoted by {{cite news |title=Widdecombe disgusted by Carr's 'filth' |url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/mediamonkey/2007/11/widdecombe_disgusted_by_carrs.html |work=mediamonkey |publisher=''[[Guardian Unlimited]]'' |date=[[28 November]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-11-30 }}</ref>

In 2006, she launched a boycott against [[British Airways]] for suspending a worker who refused to hide her cross which ended when British Airways reversed their suspension. In November 2006, she moved into the house of an Islington Labour Councillor to experience life on a council estate, her response to her experience being ''"Five years ago I made a speech in the House of Commons about the forgotten decents. I have spent the last week on estates in the Islington area finding out that they are still forgotten"''.<ref>{{cite web | title=Anne gets taste of council estate life | date=[[22 November]] [[2006]] | accessdate=2006-11-28 | work=Islington Gazette |url=http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/content/islington/gazette/news/story.aspx?brand=ISLGOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsislg&itemid=WeED22%20Nov%202006%2013%3A00%3A30%3A717}}</ref>

She awarded the 2007 [[University Challenge]] trophy. In the same year, she was cast as herself in ''[[The Sound of Drums (Doctor Who)|The Sound of Drums]]'', the 12th episode of the third series of the science-fiction drama ''[[Doctor Who]]'' supporting [[Story arcs in Doctor Who#Mr Saxon|Mr Saxon]], the alias of [[the Master]].<ref name="Factfile">{{cite web|author=Peter Ware|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2007/facts/fact_312.shtml|title=Doctor Who - Fact File - "The Sound of Drums"|work=Doctor Who: The official site|publisher=[[bbc.co.uk]]|accessdate=2007-11-30}}</ref>

In 2007, Widdecombe fronted a television [[Television season|series]] called ''[[Ann Widdecombe Versus]]'', on [[ITV1]], in which she speaks to various people about things related to her as an [[Member of Parliament|MP]], with an emphasis on confronting those responsible for problems she wished to tackle. On [[15 August]] [[2007]] she talked about [[prostitution]], the next week, about [[benefits]] and the week after that, about [[truancy]].

In September 2007, [[The Observer]] reported that she had made her first advertisement, for the Rana Pasta Company.<ref name="Pendennis"/>

==Bibliography==
* ''An Act of Peace'' by Ann Widdecombe (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005) ISBN 0-297-82958-0
* ''Father Figure'' by Ann Widdecombe (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005) ISBN 0-297-82962-9
* ''An Act of Treachery'' by Ann Widdecombe (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2002) ISBN 0-297-64573-0
* ''The Clematis Tree'' by Ann Widdecombe (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2000) ISBN 0-297-64572-2
* ''Ann Widdecombe: Right from the Beginning'' by Nicholas Kochan (Politico's Publishing, 2000) ISBN 1-902301-55-2
* ''Inspired and Outspoken: The Collected Speeches of Ann Widdecombe'' edited by John Simmons (Politico's Publishing, 1999) ISBN 1-902301-22-6

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.annwiddecombemp.com/ The Widdy Web] ''Official Website''
* [http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=people.person.page&personID=4791 Ann Widdecombe MP] Biography from the Conservative Party
* [http://www.epolitix.com/EN/MPWebsites/Ann+Widdecombe/ ePolitix.com — Ann Widdecombe]
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-5516,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics — Ask Aristotle: Ann Widdecombe MP]
* [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/ann_widdecombe/maidstone_and_the_weald TheyWorkForYou.com — Ann Widdecombe MP]
* [http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Ann_Widdecombe&mpc=Maidstone+%26amp%3B+The+Weald The Public Whip — Ann Widdecombe MP] voting record
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/390.stm BBC News — Ann Widdecombe] profile 10 February, 2005
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3558378.stm BBC News — The Widdecombe Project] about her agony aunt television programme on BBC Two
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/redbox/story/0,9029,1180596,00.html ''Buck Up!''] Ann Widdecombe's first agony aunt column for [[The Guardian]] in 2004
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/tv_and_radio/newsid_1436000/1436000.stm Ann Widdecombe's ''Weird Weekend''] from the [[BBC]] in 2001
* [http://www.thegracecharityforme.org/ The Grace Charity for M.E] The Grace Charity for M.E of which Ann Widdecombe is a patron
* [http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/Society_and_Culture/Politics/Parties/Conservative/MPs/Widdecombe,_Ann/ Open Directory Project — Ann Widdecombe] directory category

{{start box}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{succession box
| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Maidstone (UK Parliament constituency)|Maidstone]]
| years = [[United Kingdom general election, 1987|1987]]–[[United Kingdom general election, 1997|1997]]
| before = [[John Wells (politician)|John Wells]]
| after = ''(constituency abolished)''
}}
{{incumbent succession box
| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for <br>[[Maidstone and The Weald (UK Parliament constituency)|Maidstone and The Weald]]
| start = [[United Kingdom general election, 1997|1997]]
| before = ''(new constituency)''
}}
{{end box}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Widdecombe, Ann}}

[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:People from Bath]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:British female MPs]]
[[Category:Conservative MPs (UK)]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1987-1992]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1992-1997]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1997-2001]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2001-2005]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2005-]]
[[Category:Councillors in South East England]]
[[Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism]]
[[Category:English Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Birmingham]]
[[Category:Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford]]
[[Category:Celebrity Fit Club participants]]

[[sco:Ann Widdecombe]]
[[sv:Ann Widdecombe]]