Crime & JusticeDevelopingUpdated Oct 10, 2026

Man charged over murder of Ann Widdecombe and alleged plot against Nigel Farage

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets. No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered it yet.

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham, has been charged with the murder of former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe, 78, and with plotting an attack on Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. A court has heard that the murder is alleged to have been politically and ideologically motivated, and that Kerry had a particular hostility to Reform. Prosecutors said that analysis of Kerry’s phone showed an extreme left-wing and or anti-establishment mindset, and that a note on the phone listed the home addresses of politicians and prominent figures. Kerry’s response to the charges is not given in the supplied coverage, and the motive has not been established in court.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

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The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

Governor Loaded verb“slams”It adds drama to what was said. The governor criticized the lawmakers; “slams” makes it sound like a fight.More neutral: criticizes lawmakers over budget delay

Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham, is charged with murdering Ann Widdecombe, 78, a former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman.
Across the spectrumReported byCenter2Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Center
Sky News, BBC News
Right
The Washington Times
Far Right
Breitbart News
Kerry is also charged with plotting an attack on Nigel Farage, according to prosecutors.
One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
The Washington Times
Far Right
Breitbart News
A court heard the murder is alleged to have been politically and ideologically motivated.
One outletSky News· Center
A court was told Kerry had a particular hostility to Reform.
One outletBBC News· Center
Prosecutors said Kerry had an extreme left-wing mindset, and that his phone contained a note listing home addresses of politicians and prominent figures.
One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
The Washington Times
Far Right
Breitbart News

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

The murder was politically and ideologically motivated, and the motive came from the left.
Prosecutors say Kerry had an extreme left-wing mindset, and Sky News reports the murder is alleged to be politically and ideologically motivated. The BBC reports that a court was told Kerry had a particular hostility to Reform. The supplied coverage does not give Kerry’s position on the motive.

How each side tells it

Compare views

the left
No coverage yet
No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the center
2 outlets
The Sky News and BBC headlines lead with the court’s account of political motive and Kerry’s hostility to Reform, without attributing a political direction to the suspect.
Widdecombe suspect had 'particular hostility to Reform', court told
BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines
the right
2 outlets
Both right-side headlines lead with the prosecutor’s claim of an extreme left-wing motive; Breitbart, the Far Right outlet, pairs that claim with the alleged plot against Farage in its own wording, while the Washington Times headline, on an Associated Press report, attributes the motive to the prosecutor.
Man Charged with Plotting Attack on Farage, Murdering Widdecombe Had 'Extreme Left-Wing Mindset', Say Prosecutors
Breitbart NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read all 4 articles in context. Straight reporting often has none.

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

0 outlets

No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

court’s account of political motive
hostility to Reform
victim’s former Conservative career and Reform role

Leaves out

prosecutors’ description of an extreme left-wing mindset
charge of plotting an attack on Nigel Farage

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

BBC NewsCenter
Widdecombe suspect had 'particular hostility to Reform', court told
Kerry is charged with the murder of the 78-year-old former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman.
Oct 9, 2026Read at BBC News (opens in a new tab)
Sky NewsCenter
Widdecombe murder 'politically and ideologically motivated'
Ann Widdecombe's murder is alleged to have been "politically and ideologically motivated", a court has heard.
Oct 9, 2026Read at Sky News (opens in a new tab)

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

prosecutor’s claim of an extreme left-wing mindset
alleged plot against Nigel Farage
phone note listing politicians’ home addresses

Leaves out

court’s account of Kerry’s particular hostility to Reform

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Breitbart NewsFar Right
Man Charged with Plotting Attack on Farage, Murdering Widdecombe Had 'Extreme Left-Wing Mindset', Say Prosecutors
The man accused of murdering former Conservative government minister Ann Widdecombe and of allegedly plotting a terror attack against Brexit leader Nigel Farage had "an extreme Left-wing mindset”, the Old Bailey heard this week.
Oct 10, 2026Read at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)
The Washington TimesRightAssociated Press report
Suspect in Nigel Farage terror plot was motivated by extreme left-wing views, prosecutor says
A man charged with plotting a terror attack on Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and murdering former lawmaker Ann Widdecombe was motivated by "extreme left-wing" views, a prosecutor said Friday.
Oct 9, 2026Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

Left
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Center
First to report
Sky News, Oct 9, 9:36 AM EDT
Right
2 hr 20 min later
Its first report, Oct 9, 11:56 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

Sky NewsCenterOct 9, 9:36 AM EDT
BBC NewsCenterOct 9, 10:35 AM EDT
The Washington TimesRightOct 9, 11:56 AM EDT
Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 10, 8:57 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Man charged over murder of Ann Widdecombe and alleged plot against Nigel Farage

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Where accounts differ

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

Side by side

From the left

From the center

Widdecombe suspect had 'particular hostility to Reform', court told

Widdecombe murder 'politically and ideologically motivated'

From the right

Man Charged with Plotting Attack on Farage, Murdering Widdecombe Had 'Extreme Left-Wing Mindset', Say Prosecutors

Suspect in Nigel Farage terror plot was motivated by extreme left-wing views, prosecutor says

How the coverage built up

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