Hilda Howard, mother of the Tory politician Michael Howard, has died at the age of 97.

Mr Howard paid tribute to his mother this week, describing her as “a very remarkable lady”.

She ran a ladies’ fashion shop in Llanelli, South Wales, for many years before moving to Stanmore in Middlesex, where she became a pillar of the local community, attending synagogue every week and working tirelessly for Wizo.