A proportional inlet control valve for fluid connection to a high pressure fuel supply pump including an inlet plenum for receiving feed fuel at a feed pressure, an inlet passage for delivering feed fuel to a pumping chamber where a pumping plunger reciprocates between a pumping phase and a charging phase, and an outlet passage from the pumping chamber to a discharge valve, comprising: a cylindrical valve sleeve defining a valve axis and having a bypass port at a back end of the sleeve, axially spaced from an intermediate metering port, which is axially spaced from a drain port at a front end of the sleeve, with all said ports subject to feed fuel in the inlet plenum, and with said drain port subject to opening and closing of a leakage check valve biased closed with spring force; an inlet valve seat situated at the front end of the sleeve and defining a flow opening into the inlet passage to the pumping chamber; an inlet check valve member with associated spring adapted to urge the check valve member against the seat with biasing force; a spool valve situated for axial displacement within the sleeve, having a front end confronting the inlet check valve member and back end subject to biasing forces of a metering spring and a bypass spring, axially toward the inlet check valve member; said spool valve including an axially extending internal passage fluidly connected to a fluid volume at the front end of the spool valve, and a control port at the back end of the spool valve, selectively alignable to fluidly connect the bypass port with the internal passage and fluid volume and selectively alignable to fluidly connect the metering port with the internal passage and fluid volume, while the fluid volume always remains in fluid communication with drain port and inlet valve seat such that fluid flowing through the opening of the inlet valve seat also flows through said fluid volume; a proportional solenoid actuator magnetically coupled to the back end of the spool valve, for selective variable displacement of the spool valve, whereby combinations of forces applied by said springs and the solenoid selectively position the spool valve to uncover and cover the bypass port and the metering port and open or close the inlet check valve member against the inlet valve seat. a cylindrical valve sleeve defining a valve axis and having a bypass port at a back end of the sleeve, axially spaced from an intermediate metering port, which is axially spaced from a drain port at a front end of the sleeve, with all said ports subject to feed fuel in the inlet plenum, and with said drain port subject to opening and closing of a leakage check valve biased closed with spring force; an inlet valve seat situated at the front end of the sleeve and defining a flow opening into the inlet passage to the pumping chamber; an inlet check valve member with associated spring adapted to urge the check valve member against the seat with biasing force; a spool valve situated for axial displacement within the sleeve, having a front end confronting the inlet check valve member and back end subject to biasing forces of a metering spring and a bypass spring, axially toward the inlet check valve member; said spool valve including an axially extending internal passage fluidly connected to a fluid volume at the front end of the spool valve, and a control port at the back end of the spool valve, selectively alignable to fluidly connect the bypass port with the internal passage and fluid volume and selectively alignable to fluidly connect the metering port with the internal passage and fluid volume, while the fluid volume always remains in fluid communication with drain port and inlet valve seat such that fluid flowing through the opening of the inlet valve seat also flows through said fluid volume; a proportional solenoid actuator magnetically coupled to the back end of the spool valve, for selective variable displacement of the spool valve, whereby combinations of forces applied by said springs and the solenoid selectively position the spool valve to uncover and cover the bypass port and the metering port and open or close the inlet check valve member against the inlet valve seat.