Tributes were paid to the ‘true gentleman’, former MP Sir Richard Shepherd, who has died aged 79.
Walsall Councilors paid tribute to former Conservative MP Aldridge-Brownhills, who served the constituency for 36 consecutive years between 1979 and 2015.
He died earlier this month after a short illness.
Authority leader Mike Bird said he was “a man of great principles”. On Monday, his brother John said: “Our hearts are broken.”
He added that the family was very reassured by the fact that “his life was well lived and that in many ways he was a true gold medalist.”
As an MP, Sir Richard was known as a Eurosceptic and was freed from the whip by Prime Minister John Major after his rejection of the Maastricht Treaty. In 2013 he was knighted.
His former Conservative colleagues and opposition members paid tribute to him at a full council meeting on Monday, during which they observed a minute’s silence.
Councilor Garry Perry said Sir Richard influenced him to go into politics.
“He was absolutely loyal to Aldridge-Brownhills and never stuck to the party line,” he said.
“He was loyal to the things he was passionate about. Brexit was one of them. It’s a sad fact, by the time we got Brexit Richard’s health had deteriorated.”
Mr Bird added: “It’s very sad when people retire at the peak of their careers and then drop off very quickly.
“Richard was well accepted by the people of Aldridge Brownhills and is still revered as a great MP.”
Councilor John Murray, who joined the Aldridge-Brownhills Conservative Association in 1979 and worked on Sir Richard’s first campaign, said his belief in democracy made him a leading Eurosceptic and at times a parliamentary rebel.
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