Michael Portillo – What Previous Offices

Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is now in his seventieth year having been born on 26 May 1953.

In 1984, he became the Conservative MP for Enfield Southgate, serving in the Cabinet under John Major through much of the mid 1990s.

In recent years Portillo has developed an active career in the media, both as a political commentator and, notably, as the presenter of many train documentaries.

Portillo has a strong interest in the arts and he is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Federation of British Artists, an educational charity for the arts.

Michael Portillo Previous Offices

In terms of political office, Michael Portillo held a number of prominent posts.

Under Margaret Thatcher he was a junior transport minister. Indeed he was Minister of Transport at the time of the Marchioness disaster – the 1989 tragedy which resulted in the deaths of 51 people after two vessels collided in the Thames.

Portillo served as Minister for local government between 1990 and 1992, doing so at the time of the then unpopular Community Charge (poll tax).

Under John Major, Portillo sat in the cabinet between 1992 and 1997. He became a member of the Privy Council, and was a very prominent Conservative politician. He was widely and seriously talked about as a possible future prime minister.

The Rt Hon Michael Portillo served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury between 1992 and 1994. He then served as Secretary of State for Employment between 1994-1995, and as Secretary of State for Defence between 1995-1997.

Is Michael Portillo Married?

Portillo junior, married Carolyn Eadie in 1982. The couple have now been married for over 40 years and were recently reported to have bought a property in Andalucia in Spain.

Carolyn Eadie has worked as an executive recruitment consultant, owning her own recruitment company in London.

In 1999, Portillo gave an interview in which he outed himself as having had ‘homosexual encounters’ when at university.

Political Career

Having served as a Special Adviser to Cecil Parkinson and then Thatcher’s Chancellor Nigel Lawson, Portillo first stood for Parliament in the 1983 General Election. Portillo lost this contest, but was soon selected to contest the Conservative seat of Enfield Southgate in the 1984 by-election, caused by the death of the previous MP Sir Anthony Berry MP to the Brighton IRA bomb at that year’s Conservative Party Conference.

As an MP, Portillo was a strong supporter of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and he was promoted to Minister of State for Transport under her. He urged her to fight on to the last during her 1990 Conservative leadership challenge. Mrs Thatcher reportedly told Portillo upon her deposition that, ‘great things are expected of you’ and that ‘you will not disappoint us’.

After Thatcher was ousted, Portillo continued his rise up the Ministerial ranks and became a Cabinet Minister in 1992. Portillo became a staple of John Major’s administration in the mid 1990s, holding a number of prominent posts.

However, there were always doubts as to Portillo’s loyalty, with many rumours circulating of a potential Portillo-led leadership challenge in the offing. Under pressure, John Major resigned in 1995 in a ‘put up or shut up’ move to his critics. Portillo considered challenging Major, but ultimately failed to do so, leaving the then Welsh Secretary, John Redwood to put his name forward.

Portillo was long-considered a potential future PM and Conservative Party Leader, but after shockingly losing his seat at the 1997 election, Portillo never held government office again.

Portillo’s loss of his Enfield Southgate constituency in North London at the 1997 General Election became a symbol of the ‘New Labour’ landslide win of that year. Subsequent scalps of high-profile politicians at General Elections are always discussed in reference to this original 1997, ‘Were you still up for Portillo?’ moment.

In his post ‘Portillo Moment’ years, Portillo’s Thatcherite views have softened significantly.

Portillo returned as the MP for Kensington and Chelsea in a 1999 by-election, and he was subsequently made Shadow Chancellor under William Hague.

Portillo was a candidate in the 2001 Conservative leadership election, but he finished third behind Ken Clark and Iain Duncan Smith. In 2005 Portillo left the House of Commons for good.

Michael Portillo and Trains

From 2002, Portillo developed an active career in the media, both as a political commentator and, notably, as the presenter of many train documentaries.

In 2009, Portillo began filming a show entitled ‘Great British Railway Journeys‘, a series inspired by George Bradshaw’s 1863 tourist handbook. By 2020, the programme had returned annually for 11 series. He has also hosted programmes filmed abroad on Great Continental Railway Journeys.

Portillo has had a long passion for steam trains and likes to say that ‘saving the Settle to Carlisle railway’, when Minister of State for Transport (1987-1990), was his greatest political achievement.

He has since become President of the Friends of the ‘Settle-Carlisle’ railway line.

Portillo’s media career his transcended transport, however, and Portillo has fronted many political documentaries including Channel 5’s ‘Portillo – The Trouble with the Tories’ in 2019. In 2022 he had a guest slot hosting a programme on GB News.

Michael Portillo and Dianne Abbott

Between 2003 and 2019, Portillo featured on the BBC’s political discussion programme, ‘This Week’ hosted by Andrew Neil. From 2003 to 2010, Portillo appeared alongside the Labour MP Diane Abbott.

Having been at neighbouring schools in their youth, a young Abbott and Portillo once also appeared together in a production of Romeo and Juliet, albeit not in the title roles.

Michael Portillo Brexit

Despite his time spent travelling around mainland Europe on trains, Michael Portillo was an early supporter of Brexit. In 2013 he followed his former boss, Lord Lawson, in calling for Britain’s exit from the European Union.