Michael Portillo MP Enfield Southgate 1984 to 1997 One time staunch Thatcherite and born again TV personality Michael Portillo held the seat for Enfield Southgate from 1984 to 1997 and was at one time hotly tipped to become the next Tory leader. Always a controversial figure, Portillo was frequently the subject of gossip and rumour and was s frequently lampooned in the media – Private Eye memorably dubbing him Portaloo. The shock of Portillos defeat by Labour Candidate Stephen Twigg, a swing to Labour of 17.6%, was one of the most dramatic moments of the 1997 election. Said Portillo subsequently, “My name is now synonymous with eating a bucketful of shit in public.” Portillo returned to Parliament in 1999 as MP for the safe seat of Kensington and Chelsea, and finally contested the leadership of the Tory Party in 2001, but was knocked out of the final round by Tory MPs (the election was won by the lacklustre Ian Duncan Smith). He retired from party politics in 2005 and has since developed a career in TV and journalism, in particular as a regular nestling alongside Diane Abbott on This Week where apparently he is a total kitten, full of charm and with the common touch. Who knew? http://www.michaelportillo.co.uk/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVvWE6V9ulE