Joshua Kerry sought to break into the home of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage last year and conducted research on prominent people over a period of more than two years, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
The terrorism charge for Kerry, 28, and from Rotherham, comes on top of charges he was already facing over the murder of Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister and spokesperson for Reform, on July 8 this year.
London’s Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the police watchdog, over the alleged incident at Farage’s home last year because of indications that officers failed to follow some relevant leads after the politician reported the break-in attempt.
In a brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Kerry, who was dressed in grey sweatpants and sweater, spoke only to confirm his name and age.
He is charged with preparing acts of terrorism between May 31 2024 and July 8 this year by researching potential targets. He is also charged with travelling to and attempting to gain entry to Farage’s home.
Kashif Malik, prosecuting, gave the court evidence about the alleged attempt to gain entry to Farage’s home on April 20 2025.
He told the court that Farage’s partner, Laure Ferrari, returned home to find damage to the property’s front door, including marks from a chisel.
The prosecution alleges that Kerry drove from his home in Rotherham in South Yorkshire to Farage’s street on the day in question and was there for several hours.
Kerry conducted reconnaissance “on prominent people and institutions” between May 31 2024 and July 8 2026, according to the prosecution.
Kerry had already been charged with the murder of Widdecombe at her home on Dartmoor on July 8, which counterterror police have described as a “targeted attack”.
Kerry’s solicitors made no application for bail and chief magistrate Paul Goldspring remanded him in custody until Friday, when he will appear at the Old Bailey.
Before Kerry’s arrest, Farage had cited last year’s incident as evidence that he required extra security, which he has said is being funded by a £5mn gift from cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne.
Widdecombe, 78, was a Tory MP between 1987 and 2010 and was a Home Office and employment minister in Sir John Major’s government.
She later joined Farage’s Brexit Party and sat in the European parliament between 2019 and 2020.
More recently, she had joined Reform UK and at the time of her death was an immigration spokesperson for the party, giving a television interview in that role just hours before her alleged murder.