Ms Widdecombe, 78, was discovered dead at her home in Haytor, Dartmoor, on Thursday after suffering serious injuries.
Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that the man, was released from custody on Friday morning.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said the investigation remains focused on finding those responsible and carefully examining all available evidence. He explained that detectives are carrying out a wide range of enquiries and are working to establish exactly what happened.
Longman added that the investigation is progressing quickly, with all necessary resources being used. He also urged the public to avoid speculation, particularly on social media, warning that it could interfere with the investigation and cause further distress to Ms Widdecombe’s family and friends. The family has also requested privacy as they deal with their loss.
Police have previously stated that the case is not being treated as terrorism and that there is currently no evidence suggesting the killing was politically motivated.
Ann Widdecombe served as a Conservative MP from 1987 until 2010, representing Maidstone and later Maidstone and the Weald in Kent. During her parliamentary career, she held several ministerial roles under Prime Minister Sir John Major.
After leaving Parliament, she appeared on the BBC programme Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 alongside professional dancer Anton du Beke, reaching the semi-finals after receiving strong public support.
In 2019, she joined Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party and was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for South West England, serving until 2020. She later became Reform UK's immigration and justice spokesperson and remained active in broadcasting, appearing on TalkTV the day before her body was discovered.
Widdecombe had been scheduled to appear on Channel 5’s The Matt Allwright Show on Wednesday afternoon but did not take part. According to ITV, she had been in contact with a programme researcher beforehand but failed to join the planned Zoom interview. Further calls and messages after the programme ended went unanswered, and the show's team contacted her agent on both Wednesday and Thursday.
