THE Tory MP Ann Widdecombe is breaking decades of parliamentary tradition to become the first politician to appear in a nonparty political television commercial since Clement Freud fed Chunky Meat to his bloodhound Henry in 1967.

Widdecombe, MP for Maidstone & the Weald, has previously turned down several requests to capitalise on her robust, no-nonsense image by appearing in advertisements. However, like the good Roman Catholic that she is, she has finally agreed to make one for an Italian pasta firm.

She was paid just under £5,000 to appear in the commercial, which will be seen on ITV next month and also features Giovanni Rana, founder of the food company.

“I am not the star,” Widdecombe said. “It is very much a cameo role and I appear as myself.

“I am not the first politician to do it. Clement Freud did a dog food commercial years ago. I checked with the register of members’ interests before I agreed and there is nothing to stop MPs making advertisements as long as the payment is declared.

“The whole thing took 10 to 20 minutes. I kept repeating my line until the director was satisfied.”

Widdecombe served as prisons minister at the Home Office under Michael Howard in the last Conservative government and once famously said that “there is something of the night” about her boss.

She added: “I cannot reveal my line until the ad is aired. I am covered by a confidentiality agreement.

“All I can say is I think it is very funny. I insisted on tasting the pasta before I agreed to make the ad and I found it to my liking. But I definitely wasn’t asked to say there’s something of the nice about it.

“I have been asked to make lots of other ads, including ones for technical products I knew nothing about and one in which I was supposed to be living in marital bliss with Alice Cooper, the rock star. I didn’t have any trouble turning that one down.”

The 60-second commercial was filmed in London but avoided using the House of Commons as a backdrop to escape any accusations of claiming to be an approved product.

Freud said: “I don’t think it is a good idea for MPs to make advertisements. I made the adverts for Chunky before I was elected as MP for the Isle of Ely.

“I always feel I never get the credit for winning the seat three times. While the dog commercial was being shown on TV five times a day, I would go up to people in the street and say, ‘I hope I can count on your support on polling day’, and they would make barking noises and shout ‘Woof!’ at me.”

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