Former Big Brother housemate Daze Aghaji has sparked a heated debate on BBC's Politics Live after discussing the late Reform politician Ann Widdecombe's controversial legacy. Widdecombe, 78, was found dead at her home in Haytor, Dartmoor, on Thursday morning, with counter-terrorism police leading a murder investigation.
Aghaji's comments on Widdecombe's record
Appearing on Monday's programme alongside Labour MP Jess Asato and Conservative MP Nigel Huddleston, Aghaji acknowledged the tragedy of Widdecombe's death but highlighted her anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion stances. 'It's awful that she was murdered, especially being 78 as well. I think that's quite a sad way to go out. But I think there is a lot of controversy around how she lived her political life,' Aghaji said.
She added: 'I'm a real believer that the values that we hold are the politics that we practice, and I feel like it would be amiss to not mention the fact that she pushed against LGBTQ+ rights throughout all of her career. She also said a lot of things about the victims of Harvey Weinstein during Me Too. She said they chose it upon themselves, and she was vehemently anti-abortion.'
MPs' reaction and viewer support
Huddleston called Aghaji's remarks 'completely inappropriate,' stating, 'I think you will regret what you just said there.' He argued that Widdecombe had 'lots of gay friends' and that her views were 'grounded in her faith, her beliefs, which are shared.' Aghaji, who identified as a Christian, countered that she did not share those views. Huddleston then said he was 'uncomfortable' sitting next to her.
Despite the MPs' outrage, many online defended Aghaji. A clip of the exchange on X has been viewed over 130,000 times. User Bob Johnson wrote that Huddleston 'doesn't seem to appreciate that many things can be true at the same time,' adding: 'It is possible to be sad that a person has died, be horrified in the way she died but also be critical of how her political actions adversely affected others.'
Widdecombe's controversial history
Widdecombe was a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage and criticized same-sex couples on Strictly Come Dancing. In 2018, during her stint on Celebrity Big Brother, she faced accusations of victim-blaming after saying of Harvey Weinstein's accusers: 'It's down to them; they had a choice.'
Aghaji noted that Widdecombe's political actions had harmed her community: 'As someone who is queer, my rights have been affected by her speeches. She has been a part of Reform, which, as someone who had to live through the race riots of last year, her actions have contributed to a lot of my community having very difficult lives.' She concluded: 'I can say the legacy that she's left has been a mixed bag for a lot of different people. That does not excuse the fact that she should never have been murdered.'
