A 26-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of the murder of the former MP Ann Widdecombe has been released from custody and is no longer part of the investigation, Devon and Cornwall police said early on Saturday.

In a statement, assistant chief constable Matt Longman said: “Our priority remains identifying those responsible and ensuring that all available evidence is thoroughly examined.

“Detectives continue to carry out numerous enquiries as part of the ongoing investigation and we remain committed to establishing the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”

Widdecombe’s body was found with “serious injuries” by the ambulance service at her home in Haytor, Devon, at 11.40am on Thursday, police said.

Longman said the investigation was “moving at a significant pace”, adding: “We are deploying all of the necessary resources to find out exactly what happened.

“I would appeal to anyone who may have information about this incident, however insignificant it may seem, to come forward and speak with us.

“We will release further information when we are able to do so. In the meantime, I would ask people not to speculate about what might have happened, particularly on social media.

“This is not only potentially harmful to our investigation but also deeply distressing for family and friends of Miss Widdecombe. The family have also asked for their privacy to be respected as they come to terms with what has happened.

On Friday, police said they were seeking a white male in connection with the death and later confirmed a 26-year-old white British national had been arrested at an address in Newton Abbot, less than 10 miles from Widdecombe’s home.

At Friday’s press conference in Exeter, Longman said the force did not believe the killing was politically motivated, and after an initial consultation with counter-terrorism officers, had ruled out a terrorist motive.

Widdecombe, who appeared on TalkTV on Wednesday, lived in Haytor Vale, a village within the Dartmoor national park, in a 1970s bungalow named Widdecombe’s Rest. A plaque with the name of the property was positioned at the end of her drive.

On Friday, political leaders across the spectrum expressed shock and horror at the killing. Keir Starmer said it was important to “rise above any political differences” and focus on helping the police investigation.

The prime minister said: “This is really shocking news, and my thoughts, I think all of our thoughts, will be with the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe at this awful time for them.

“Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements, and it’s a huge, huge loss.”

The Conservative party leader, Kemi Badenoch, said she was “stunned” to hear about the murder inquiry. “To be honest, I’ve really struggled to find the words to say,” she said.

“I don’t understand how someone could do something so horrific to an elderly person. It was a nasty, horrific attack and my heart is breaking for her family. It’s one thing when someone dies, but to know that they’ve been murdered in this horrible way is just awful.

“The Conservative party is reeling. Ann was a longstanding member of the Conservative party, she was a Conservative minister, and then she moved to Reform.”

In her post-Commons career, Widdecombe appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010. She became a member of Nigel Farage’s Brexit party in 2019 and served as an MEP representing south-west England in Brussels between 2019 and 2020.

She later became an immigration and justice spokesperson for Reform UK and remained active in the media.

Widdecombe was due to be a guest on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show on Wednesday afternoon, but did not appear, as first reported by ITV. She had exchanged messages with a researcher from the show, but did not respond when they tried to contact her to join a Zoom call from home.

Calls and texts sent after the programme aired remained unanswered, ITV said, and the Channel 5 show’s team followed up with her agent later on Wednesday and on Thursday.