| Michael Portillo - Your local MP - News - E: kensington@myvillage.co.uk | |
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| News: Portillo Fails At Final Hurdle - 17/07/01 - 5pm | |
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A week is a long time in politics ... its the ultimate cliche, but today it is an apposite one. After starting the leadership campaign as clear leader, Michael Portillo has failed to get through to the final two candidates. The final two candidates will face the party in the country. There was 'a shocked silence' from Portillo supporters outside the Committee room, as the result of the vote was announced The final result Portillo said in a statement on the BBC, that he now intends to leave front bench politics forever. 'I think that this is the time for me to find some other things to do'. He stated however that he has no intention to stop being an MP, and that he loves being the MP for Kensington & Chelsea.
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| Portillo's Future Hangs in the Balance - 17/07/01 | |
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After days of claiming that he is not treacherous, Portillo's career hangs in the balance today as MP's vote to choose two candidates to go forward to the final round of the leadership contest. The smart money in on Iain Duncan Smith, with Portillo and Kenneth Clarke fighting it out for the second place slot. The vote will be announced at just before 5.00pm today. Watch this space for details. |
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Michael Portillo's chances of becoming leader of the Conservatives are much slimmer after two sets of damaging accusations were leveled at him. First Amanda Platell, press officer to William Hague during the last election, accused Portillo and his political aides of undermining Hague in the days leading up to the election, in a Channel 4 programme on Sunday night. Then Portillo was forced to deny his claims that he was Margaret Thatcher's preferred candidate, after she wrote in a Sunday newspaper that the claim was incorrect. Pundits think that Portillo will struggle in the vital party vote on Tuesday to claim one of the two candidate's places that will then be put to Conservative party members to choose a new leader. Iain Duncan Smith is now thought to be the front runner for the leadership, with Kenneth Clarke running a strong second, having managed to pool support from some MP's who don't share his own Euro friendly stance.
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| Portillo Seeks Divine Endorsement - 05/07/01 | |
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The Evening Standard reports that our esteemed local MP from the right/left/centre of the Tory party, was seen enjoying himself at the Madonna concert at Earl's Court. He was seen punching his hands in the air during Madonna's set which included one of his Desert Island Discs choices, 'La Isla Bonita'. As the local MP he was invited along to the concert by the owner of Earls Court, Andrew Morris. Like Mandy, Michael is no stranger to hanging out with celebs. He is rumoured to have met the divine Madge over dinner round at Shireen Ritchie's house, who is not only Madonna's mother in law but also the Chair of the Kensington & Chelsea Conservative Association. "Is this the endorsement that will blow Michael Portillo's leadership rival out of the water?", the Standard comments.
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| Portilllo Stands - 12/06/01 | |
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He told journalists at Westminster: "I wish to put my name forward to be leader of the Conservative Party." After finally announcing his decision after days of media speculation, he said that the party had suffered a "catastrophic" election result and needed to make major changes to become electable. "Unless the party makes major changes in its style
and the issues it chooses to focus on there is a danger that we
will go further down in the public's respect," he told reporters.
He announced his decision flanked by shadow foreign secretary Francis
Maude, who is to run his campaign.
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| Portillo for Leader - 08/06/01 | |
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Kensington & Chelsea MP Michael Portillo remains
for many the strongest candidate, but whoever becomes leader they
face a daunting task to recover the party from their worst result
in living memory.
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| Michael Portillo In Secret Payments Scandal - 26/02/02 | |
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Local MP Michael Portillo faces pressure this week to reveal the full scale of his business dealings with an oil company, after the Observer newspaper revealed yesterday that he had been given secret payments. A leaked letter, from Kerr McGee, the world's third largest oil company reveals that Portillo has earned far more from the oil company than the £5,000 and £10,000 he has disclosed, and that this was 'only a small proportion of a wider agreement' between the two parties.' These revelations will be regarded as seriously compromising Portillo's position as shadow chancellor, the person responsible for setting Tory tax policy for oil companies. Whether the money paid to him for 'parliamentary activities' and 'general advice' can be regarded as proper for someone in his position will be put under the full glare of both media and parliamentary spotlights over the coming days. Portillo has refused up to now to reveal his overall income from the oil firm. Last April the shadow chancellor was forced to make an embarrassing apology to the House of Commons when he revealed that he had failed to reveal his connections with the firm when discussing fuel duties. Fraser Kemp, a senior Labour backbencher said, "Mr Portillo is the shadow chancellor and responsible for making opposition policy on fuel taxes at a time when the industry's and his company's profits have gone through the roof. He must declare every penny he receives from the firm and the precise nature of the work he does for them. "His constituents have every right to ask who he's spending his time working for - the people who elected him or the oil industry."
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| Portillo Pledges to Top Brown on Family Tax Breaks - 20/01/00 | |
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Parents of children under five will be given an
extra tax break of £200 if the Tories win power in the general
election, Kensington and Chelsea MP and shadow chancellor Michael
Portillo has promised.
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