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Former MP & Shadow Home Secretary and star of Strictly Come Dancing
Ann Widdecombe was born in 1947 in Bath, Somerset. The daughter of James Murray Widdecombe CB/OBE and Mrs. Rita Widdecombe. Her father's occupation was Head of Naval Supplies & Transport, Ministry of Defence.
Ann was educated at the Royal Naval School Singapore, La Sainte Union Convent Bath, Birmingham University (BA Hons Latin) and Oxford University (BA Hons Politics, Philosophy and Ec... |
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...onomics) LMH MA 1976.
She worked in marketing at Unilever from 1973 to 1975 and was Senior Administrator at London University from 1975 to 1987.
Since 1987 she has been member of Parliament for Maidstone which became Maidstone and The Weald in 1997
Political Biography
Secretary (1971) and Treasurer (1972) of The Oxford Union Committee Member of Oxford University Conservative Association Runnymeade District Councillor 1976-1978 Candidate for Burnley 1979, she halved Labour majority Candidate for Plymouth Devonport 1983 against Dr. David Owen. Elected Member of Parliament for Maidstone 1987. 1990 Appointed PPS to Tristan Garroll-Jones Minister at the Foreign Office November 1990 appointed Under Secretary of State for Social Security in John Major's first administration where she specialised in pensions Under Secretary of State Department of Employment 1993. Minister of State Department of Employment 1994. Minister of State Home Office 1995 with responsibility for prisons and immigration. 1997 Member of Standards and Privileges Committee of the House of Commons. 1998 Shadow Health Secretary. 1999 Shadow Home Secretary. 2001 Announced intention to retire from Shadow Front Bench at the same time as deciding not to stand for the Leadership of the Party. October 2007 Announced her intention to retire at the next General Election
Miss Widdecombe published her first novel THE CLEMATIS TREE in April 2000 which became a best seller. Since then she has written a further three novels.
She has enjoyed participating in various television programmes including her own prime time television show on BBC2, ‘Ann Widdecombe to the Rescue’. She has also contributed to many other programmes on a wide range of subjects including travel, politics and religion. Ann has also appeared as a guest presenter on television in place of Richard Littlejohn and on radio in place of Nick Ferrari.
As well as Television and Radio Miss Widdecombe had built up a strong reputation in the print media mainly as a columnist for several newspapers. She is currently a weekly columnist for the Daily Express.
In October 2010 she participated in the highly popular BBC show Strictly come Dancing, partnered with Anton du Beke.
Testimonials
"Ann was a complete success. She arrived early, mixed well, spoke brilliantly and relevantly to this audience and then stopped afterwards to mingle with all the other guests. First class!" - Englemere Limited
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