A LIFE IN POLITICS
Ms Widdecombe, a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010, was known for her Christian faith and outspoken views.
In 1995, as prisons minister, she was embroiled in a row after defending a policy of chaining pregnant prisoners to prevent them from escaping.
A staunch supporter of Brexit, Ms Widdecombe left the Conservatives in 2019 to join the hard-right party of anti-immigration leader Nigel Farage.
Mr Farage on Friday called her death a “terrible reflection on modern Britain” in a video posted on social media.
“I do fear that for anybody in public life, or especially the political space, things have become even more dangerous today,” he said.