Ann Widdecombe funeral draws police cordon at Buckfast Abbey

Police dogs and armed officers surrounded Buckfast Abbey ahead of the funeral of Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative minister and later Brexit Party MEP, with family, friends and politicians attending the service.

The Mirror reports the funeral details have been confirmed, with the service taking place at the Devon abbey where Widdecombe had long-standing connections. The Express reports the significant police presence, including armed officers, ahead of the ceremony.

Widdecombe spent decades in public life - a Home Office minister under the Major government, a fixture of the House of Commons until she stood down, then a return via the European Parliament under Nigel Farage. She was known for positions that drew both loyalty and opposition in equal measure, and for a forensic style in debate that made her difficult to ignore. The police cordon suggests the funeral was assessed as requiring a security response, either because of the attendees or because of anticipated protest.

Funerals of public figures tend to draw both mourners and demonstrators - the ceremony becomes a final referendum on a career. The security presence is itself a marker: it suggests someone expected either disruption or a gathering large enough to require management. Whether that assessment was proportionate will become clear only after the event.

What to watch: whether the service proceeds without incident, and what the attendance list reveals about which parts of British politics still claim Widdecombe as their own.