Influencer mocks Widdecombe's death
A social media influencer has sparked widespread condemnation after posting a video in which he and his friends joked about the recent killing of former MP Ann Widdecombe while standing next to a controversial art installation.
Danny Karne, who goes by the name Danny Lambo and describes himself as a playboy millionaire and entrepreneur with nearly 100,000 Instagram followers, filmed the clip during an arts festival at Eastwell Manor hotel in Kent. In the now-deleted video, captioned “Who killed Ann Widdecombe (RIP)?”, the group treated the installation as a mock murder mystery scene, laughing as they named potential “suspects” and mispronounced the late politician’s name as “Ann Whittingham.”
The artwork in question, titled Still Life: Woman on the Floor by artist Olivia Herring, features a figure of an elderly woman with white hair lying on the ground in a bright pink coat amid scattered shopping items. Herring created and first exhibited the piece months earlier, in spring 2026, as part of a series exploring themes of collapse under consumerism and luxury. It was not intended to reference Widdecombe or any real crime.
Ann Widdecombe, 78, a former Conservative minister who later became a Reform UK spokesperson and was known for her appearances on Strictly Come Dancing, was found dead in her home in Haytor, Devon, on 9 July 2026 after suffering serious injuries the previous day. Police described the death as a targeted attack. Joshua Kerry, a 28-year-old man from Rotherham, has been charged with her murder. He is due to appear at the Old Bailey for a case management hearing in October, with a provisional trial date set for June 2027.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage responded strongly to the video, telling the Daily Mail: “The terrible murder of Ann Widdecombe is no joke. These people are sick.”
Deputy leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice called the behaviour “disgusting” and questioned what had happened to the country.
Lambo later deleted the post and issued a statement defending his actions. He said the group was mocking “the absurdity of the art display” rather than the real death, noted that he had said “may she rest in peace” in the clip, and offered condolences to Widdecombe’s family while calling for justice against her killer. He claimed the group had also discussed whether the art itself was in poor taste.
Artist Olivia Herring condemned the video as “disgusting and trashy,” accusing Lambo of trying to gain publicity by cashing in on her work. She emphasised that the piece was never meant to depict Widdecombe’s death and defended the right to show the installation, arguing that differing opinions on its taste should not lead to censorship.
