Joshua Kerry, 28, already facing a murder charge over the July killing of Ann Widdecombe at her Devon home, has now been charged with preparing terrorist acts that included targeting Nigel Farage. Prosecutors said the alleged plot ran from 31 May 2024 to 8 July this year.

He is due at Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday and remains in custody. The murder trial is listed for June next year. Widdecombe had served as a Conservative minister in the 1990s, later sat as a Brexit Party MEP and then acted as a Reform UK spokeswoman.