Michael Portillo Biography
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo, popular as Michael Portillo, is a renown British journalist, news anchor, author, and political commentator. He is also a former Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister of the Conservative Party from Britain. He landed into the House of Commons in 1984, and this was after he won the elections for his first time. Michael gained popularity at the tender age of 6 years, and this was after appearing in an advertisement for a commercial drink called ‘Ribena.’
Michael Portillo Birthday and Age
Michael was born on the 26th of May, 1953, in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England.
Michael Portillo Height
Portillo has a height of 5 feet and 11 inches (1.81 m).
Michael Portillo Family
Michael’s father is called Luis Gabriel Portillo, who had come to Britain as a refugee at the end of the Spanish Civil War. His mother is known as Cora Waldegrave Blyth de Portillo, who grew up in Fife. She met her husband, Luis, when she was an undergraduate at Oxford University.
Michael Portillo Wife
Michael is married to his lovely wife, Carolyn Claire Eadie. After a period of dating, the couple married on the 12th of February, 1982. The two met when they were at school.
Michael Portillo Education
Michael acquired his secondary education at Grammar School, Harrow County. He later joined Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he graduated with a first-class degree in History.
Michael Portillo Career Life
Michael’s career began in 1961 at tender age of 6 years. This was after he had been featured in the advertisement for a commercial drink called ‘Ribena.’ At the end of 1970, he worked as an advisor to the ministry of energy for the British government. His career as a politician emerged in 1980, where he held a different British government position.
In 1992, he held the position of the cabinet but later retired from politics in 2005. In 1997 during the general election, Michael lost his position of the Conservative Enfield Southgate. This led to the term “Portillo moment” being coined. He decided to return to the House of Commons after receiving the Conservative candidacy in Kensington and Chelsea in the 1999 by-election. Portillo later joined the front bench and served as Shadow Chancellor, although his relationship with Conservative Leader William Hague was unhealthy. He stood for party leadership in 2001, thereby being in third behind both Iain Duncan Smith and Kenneth Clarke.
During the 2005 general election, he resigned from the House of Commons and active politics. He is now actively back to his media interests, hosting and participating in various Television and radio programs. His enthusiasm for steam trains made him make Great British Railway Journeys, a BBC documentary show since 2010. He now explores the British railway networks, referring to different versions of Bradshaw‘s Guide. The show’s popularity has made him present other series on railway systems in other parts of the world. Some of Michael’s BBC documentaries include ‘Great British Railway Journeys,’ ‘Great American Railroad Journeys,’ and ‘Great Indian Railway Journeys.’
Michael Portillo Great American Railway Journeys
Michael is the author, writer, and presenter of a BBC travel documentary series, ‘Great American Railroad Journeys.’ He used a 1979 edition of Appleton’s Guidebook on U.S and Canadian railroads to travel through the United States of America by train and other means of transport. While journeying, he frequently makes stops to learn how places, events and people, and 19th-century railroads made the country’s development to become a global superpower.
Michael Portillo on Brexit
Michael backed Brexit and shared the 2016 Brexit vote being held in the British system. This opinion made the Parliament sovereign “absolutely does not fit with our system” and that “parliament has the right to interpret” the result.
Michael Portillo Books
- Great American Railroad Journeys (2017)
- Democratic Values and the Currency: A Lecture Given to the Institute of Economic Affairs at Church House,
Westminster, on Wednesday the 14th of January 1998 (1998) - The Blue Horizon (1993)
- A Vision for the 1990s (1992)
- The Ghost of Toryism Past: The Spirit of Conservatism Future (1997)
- Beyond New Labour: The 1998 Swinton Lecture (1999)
- Portillo?’s Hidden History of Britai (2018)
- The Green Line: The Division of Cyprus: a Photographic Record (1998)
- The Economics of John Smith (1992)
Michael Portillo Salary
Michael has not yet disclosed any details regarding his salary. We are keeping tabs, and we shall update this information once it is available.
Michael Portillo Net Worth
Michael has an estimated net worth of $9 Million. This includes his assets, money, and income.