P111ORACLE 111 Fri18 Apr ITV 1646:44   INTEREST RATES DOWN,  MORTGAGE CUT SOON Barclays, Midland, NatWest and Lloyds have cut their base lending rates to 10↑5% from 11%. The deposit rate, paid to investors, is also being cut from 5.25% to 4.75%. A Barclays spokesman said: "Market conditions give us the welcome opportunity to make a further cut of 0→5% in our base rate." The Halifax, the biggest building society, immediately said it expected to announce lower mortgage rates early next week. A cut of between 0.5% and 1% is likely.  News headlines 101 Sport 130