A lively and engaging personality, Ann Widdecombe’s impressive speaking skills make her an excellent, witty and entertaining choice for a wide variety of occasions.
Widely admired and respected for her upfront approach and straightforward style, Ann answers questions directly and is frequently invited to take part in “question and answer” sessions and debates.
Ann has enjoyed participating in various television programmes including her own prime time BBC2 show Ann Widdecombe to the Rescue. She has also been seen in Call My Bluff, Countdown, Grumpy Old Women, Celebrity Fit Club and Nothing But the Truth. At the time of writing, she is delighting audiences with her weekly performances (with dance partner Anton Du Beke) on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.
Ann Widdecombe was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Maidstone (now Maidstone and The Weald) from 1987 to 2010. One of the most forthright and respected Members of Parliament, she was Shadow Home Affairs Spokesperson, Minister of State for Employment and Minister of State at the Home Office.
Educated at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, she began her career working for Unilever (1973-75) before moving to become a senior administrator at the University of London from 1975-87. She contested the seat of Burnley in 1979 and Plymouth Devonport in 1983.
Her political career includes:
- Nov 1990 PPS to Tristan Garel-Jones
- 1990-93 Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the DSS
- 1993-94 Department of Employment
- 1994-95 Minister of State at the Department of Employment
- 1995-97 Minister of State at the Home Office
In July 1997 Ann was appointed to the Standards and Privileges House of Commons Select Committee. In June 1998 she was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Health and in June 1999 she was appointed Shadow Home Secretary. In July 2001 Ann announced her decision to retire from the Shadow Cabinet and recently confirmed that she would be retiring at the next General Election, ending a long-standing political career.
Ann is a best-selling novelist. Her first novel The Clematis Tree was published in 2000. Since then, she has written a further three novels – An Act of Treachery, Father Figure and An Act of Peace.
Ann has a strong reputation in the print media, mainly as a columnist for several newspapers including the Daily Express.