“History is not merely a procession of people in fancy dress fighting wars. It is crucially the story of man's evolution from grunting cave dweller to serious thinker, from cruelly retributive law to merciful law, from casual barbarism to care and compassion.”

British politician and media personality

Ann Widdecombe is a British politician and media personality. A Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010, she represented Maidstone and The Weald, and earlier Maidstone, in the House of Commons. She later joined the Brexit Party, later Reform UK, in 2019. She served as a Member of the European Parliament for South West England from 2019 to 2020, and as the party’s immigration and justice spokesperson from 2023 until 2026.