UK man charged with preparing terrorism acts, including alleged plot against Nigel Farage
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "UK man charged with preparing terrorism acts, including alleged plot against Nigel Farage")
Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage speaks during a tribute to the late Ann Widdecombe on the second day of the annual Reform UK party conference at the NEC in Birmingham, central England on September 4, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
A man accused of murdering former UK lawmaker Ann Widdecombe has been charged with preparing acts of terrorism, including against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. Joshua Kerry, 28, is due in court on October 7.
A 28-year-old man already charged with the murder of former UK lawmaker Ann Widdecombe has now been charged with preparing acts of terrorism, including actions allegedly targeting hard-right leader Nigel Farage, British police said on Friday (Oct 02). The man identified as Joshua Kerry faces one count of preparing acts of terrorism over alleged activities between May 31, 2024, and July 8, 2026, police said.
The fresh charge has prompted renewed questions about the security of politicians. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood offered her “deepest sympathy” to Farage and his family following the announcement. “Let no one make any mistake: an attack on anyone in politics is an attack on us all,” Mahmood wrote on X. “This case raises serious questions about the security of those in public life,” she added.
Police cite complex investigation
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said police had been conducting an intensive investigation involving detectives, analysts and forensic experts. The work had involved “multiple lines of enquiry”, Evans said, resulting in what she described as a “very serious charge”.
Kerry is due to appear at a London magistrates’ court on October 7, according to the police statement.
He was first arrested on July 11, two days after Widdecombe was killed.
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Kerry charged with murder of former MP
Kerry was charged in July with the murder of Widdecombe, 78, a veteran Conservative MP who later joined Reform UK and served as a spokesperson for the party. Widdecombe was found dead at her home.
Prosecutor Kashif Malik told a court that Kerry had allegedly struck her on the head 21 times with a hammer. Malik said Widdecombe had been eating lunch when the suspect entered her home and attacked her. He had allegedly driven from Rotherham in northern England, around 300 miles (500 kilometres) away.
Her gardener found her body face down on the kitchen floor. A provisional cause of death was given as a “blunt force injury to the head”, Malik told the court.
Widdecombe represented a constituency as a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010. Known for her Christian faith and outspoken views, she later became a familiar face on reality television and interview panels.
Her death was the third killing of a UK politician in an attack this decade. Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered in 2016 by a neo-Nazi sympathiser, while Conservative lawmaker David Amess was killed in 2021 by a follower of the Islamic State group.
