Sir Colin Shepherd, who has died four days after his 86th birthday, was for 25 years a conscientious Conservative MP for Hereford, holding off the Liberals to take the seat in October 1974, but losing it to them when John Major’s government was routed in 1997.
The Bank of England is expected to keep interest rates at 5.25% today but markets forecast they will shift down from summer as inflation nears the 2% target. Follow live updates on this and all things money - and listen to a Daily podcast special on Brexit rule changes as you scroll.