18 Facts About Richard Shepherd

Sir Richard Charles Scrimgeour Shepherd was a British politician who was Member of Parliament for Aldridge-Brownhills from 1979 to 2015.

Richard Shepherd was a libertarian Conservative, and had a three line whip imposed against him by Margaret Thatcher when he introduced an amendment to loosen the Official Secrets Act 1911.

Richard Shepherd was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, to parents who worked in the commercial aviation industry.

Richard Shepherd then went to the London School of Economics where he received a BSc in Economics and where he studied with and became a friend of Robert Kilroy-Silk.

Richard Shepherd subsequently attended the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in the United States from which he graduated with an MSc which was in Economics.

Richard Shepherd was then an underwriter at Lloyd's of London from 1974 to 1994.

Richard Shepherd contested the open Conservative candidacy in Heston and Isleworth in 1970, but was not selected.

Richard Shepherd was chosen as the Conservative candidate for Nottingham East at the February 1974 general election, where he was defeated by the Labour Party candidate Jack Dunnett.

Richard Shepherd was elected Member of Parliament for Aldridge-Brownhills in 1979.

Richard Shepherd was rated as one of the ten most effective sitting MPs in 1989.

However Richard Shepherd successfully introduced similar provisions into law in 1998.

Richard Shepherd was one of the Maastricht Rebels, and is known to have had libertarian leanings.

Richard Shepherd developed close ties with fellow Maastricht rebels Nicholas Budgen and Christopher Gill, and gave the eulogy at Budgen's funeral.

Richard Shepherd was a strong advocate of Parliament's power to hold the government to account.

Richard Shepherd stood to be Speaker of the House of Commons in 2000, and won 136 votes: the third-closest to defeating Michael Martin of eleven opponents.

Richard Shepherd was knighted in the 2013 New Year Honours for public service.

Richard Shepherd retired from Parliament at the 2015 general election.

Richard Shepherd died on 19 February 2022 at the age of 79.