Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe MP (b. October 4 1947) - British Conservative MP, Privy Counsellor and unlikely sex symbol.

Ann holds Honours degrees in Latin (BA Birmingham University) and in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (MA Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford).

She was first elected to the Houses of Parliament in the 1987 UK general election as the candidate for the Maidstone constituency. She became the Home Office Minister in Charge of Prisons in John Major's government and in that role she visited every single prison.

She is famous for her celibacy and her outspoken, and what some consider to be antiquated, viewpoints concerning homosexuals, abortion and recreational drugs.

During the Conservative leadership election that picked William Hague, she spoke against the former Home Secretary, Michael Howard she served under. She remarked "there is something of the night about him", a comment which was thought to be extremely damaging as he sought election at that time as party leader, and a racist reference to Dracula, as he is of Transylvanian descent. Howard came last in that 1997 poll but went onto become party leader in 2003.

She scored an own goal in calling for a zero-tolerance policy of prosecution for users of cannabis in the 2000 Conservative conference. Her speech was well-received by rank-and-file Conservative delegates at the conference. However, she alleges that someone connected with Francis Maude, promptly contacted journalists to alert them that fellow Conservative cabinet members were prepared to come out and indicate a certain ambivalence towards their own past experiences with this drug.

During the 2001 Conservative leadership election, after the resignation of William Hague in the wake of the 2001 UK general election, she could not find sufficient Conservative MPs to support her as a leadership candidate. It is alleged that in preparation for that contest she began the process of softening her image and raising her political profile, but that process appears to be continuing today despite the subsequent selection of Iain Duncan Smith as the Conservative party leader.

Her fellow Conservative MPs and political opponents have known to be very cruel about her appearance, dubbing her "Doris Karloff" in reference to horror film actor Boris Karloff.

As a strong, forceful and intelligent woman, Ann is one of these unlikely English sex symbols and she has many admirers that talk about how sexy she is. These admirers include Bob Geldof and Eddie Izzard. During the 2001 UK general election, "I Love Ann Widdecombe" underwear was the top-selling item at Politico's Bookstore, a London shop devoted to political merchandise.

Ann lives with her elderly mother.

External links