Ex-Ukip councillor charged with murdering his wife

Stephen Searle, a former Ukip county councillor and unsuccessful General Election candidate, is due to appear in court in connection with the death of his wife Anne

Stephen Searle, seen here with Nigel Farage, has been charged with murder (Facebook)

A former Ukip councillor has been charged with the murder of his wife.

Stephen Searle, 64, who also stood unsuccessfully as a Ukip parliamentary candidate in the 2017 General Election, is due to appear in court on Tuesday morning in connection with the death of Anne, 62, his wife of more than 30 years.

Mrs Searle was found unresponsive at her home in Stowmarket, Suffolk, shortly after 10.20pm on Saturday. Paramedics attended but she was declared dead at the scene.

Suffolk Constabulary said a post-mortem was conducted on Sunday, and further tests need to be carried out.

Searle, of The Brickfields, Stowmarket, has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Ipswich Magistrates' Court on Tuesday morning.

Searle was the Ukip representative for Stowmarket South on Suffolk County Council between 2013 and 2017.

He was elected in the May 2013 local elections when, after four recounts, he beat Conservative candidate and county council Vice Chair Anne Whybrow by a single vote.

A few months later he was being photographed alongside the then Ukip leader Nigel Farage.

He lost his county council seat in the May 2017 local elections.

In the June General Election he stood as Ukip parliamentary candidate for Suffolk Central and Ipswich North, but failed to get elected.