After his selection as Tory candidate for Kensington and Chelsea,
Michael Portillo predicted a ’personal and unpleasant campaign’. Labour
retorted that it would focus on his anti-Europeanism and ’the Tory
party’s lurch to the right’ (FT, 4/11/99).
A lot of the coverage of Portillo’s route back into politics was focused
on his political rather than personal image, and there was enthusiasm
for his return: ’a politician of the highest class’, said the Express
(4/11/99).
Portillo’s previous admission of past homosexual activities inevitably
surfaced, but the perception of him as a hypocrite stemmed mainly from
Peter Tatchell’s ongoing criticism of his failure to support gay human
rights.
But scepticism about his rebirth as a compassionate, caring politician
was shown by the Mirror’s comment: ’Not so much a makeover as a
fakeover’ (4/11/99).
According to the Evening Standard (3/11/99): the Portillo
’magic ... dazzled party members’. But, ’the ’truth thing’ is
bound ... to haunt the campaign’.
Analysis and commentary by Echo Research. Cuttings supplied by the
Broadcast Monitoring Company. More information can be found at
www.echoResearch.com.
