The incident was reported in April 2025 and was initially investigated by the Metropolitan Police and Counter Terrorism Policing London. No arrests were made at the time and the case was subsequently closed, with officers able to revisit it if new information emerged.
The incident was made at an address that is linked to Nigel Farage. Farage had described the incident as an attempted act of arson, as a burning device was pushed through his letter box while he was away. However officers ruled it as an attempted burglary.
The investigation has now been revived after officers identified a potential line of inquiry that they believe could have been relevant to the case but was not pursued during the original investigation.
The development has also prompted an independent investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The police watchdog is examining the conduct of a member of Counter Terrorism Policing London following an allegation that the individual failed to identify and follow up the potential line of inquiry.
Counter Terrorism Policing London made a mandatory referral to the IOPC after the issue came to light.
The development comes as counter-terrorism officers continue to investigate the death of Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative minister and Reform UK figure who died at her home in Haytor, on Dartmoor, on July 8.
Widdecombe, 78, suffered multiple blows to the head with a hammer, with a court later hearing that she had been struck 21 times.
Joshua Kerry, 28, was charged with her murder on July 20.
Vicki Evans, the senior national co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said the decision to revisit the earlier case was made as part of the wider investigation being led by Counter Terrorism Policing South East.
She said authorities considered it important to make the development public because of the circumstances surrounding Widdecombe’s death and the considerable public attention surrounding the investigation.
The IOPC confirmed that it had decided to independently examine the conduct of a Counter Terrorism Policing London employee following the referral.
The watchdog said its investigation centres on an allegation that the staff member failed to identify and pursue a line of inquiry connected with the attempted burglary reported in April 2025.
The IOPC said it had informed Counter Terrorism Policing London of its decision and stressed that the investigation was at an early stage.
The reopening of the case does not, in itself, establish a connection between the earlier incident and Widdecombe’s death. Police inquiries remain ongoing, and the circumstances surrounding the two matters have yet to be fully established.
