News about Michael Portillo

After a Red Sea mission to thwart Iran-backed rebel attacks, British warship HMS Diamond returned to Gibraltar with fresh 'kill marks' on her flanks. The Ministry of Defence reported that the British destroyer had shot down nine Houthi drones while not shielding the Ministry of Defence from a series of attacks. The silhouettes of painted drones on the warship's bridge wings highlight these achievements.

In a new Red Sea skirmish last night, a British warship shot down an illegal Houthi drone attack. As rising tensions in the Middle East threaten to escalate into a full-scale regional conflict, the crew on the HMS Diamond successfully blocked a drone strike from Iran-backed Houthi rebel faction. On Twitter/X, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said today that the UK remains unjustified after yesterday's illicit attack on @HMSDiamond by the Iranian-backed Houthis. Our pledge to innocent lives and navigation freedom is unwavering.'

We felt it only fair to extend the scope and publish a 'polit-ick list' of annoying conduct by politicians and those in charge in an election year. The Prime Minister has been praised on a variety of fronts, including his overly short trousers, his hoodies, and his dislike of alcohol. However, others have taken the icky-level with photos of Sir Keir Starmer playing football (left), George Osborne cycling (middle), Angela Rayner's attempt at karaoke (right), Michael Portillo pulling a pint (inset right), and Jeremy Corbyn posing for a selfie (inset right).

Pro-Israel legal campaign group UK Lawyers for Israel claims that the display of Palestine flags and pro-Gazan posters and stickers in Tower Hamlets (left, a demonstration in the borough) would'intimidate Jews and incite violence against them.' The council has asked Lutfur Rahman (right), the borough's elected mayor, to have the display of Palestinian support removed in the event that their "inflammatory material" (inset) constitutes a criminal offense, for which the council will ultimately be responsible. Tower Hamlets, which has the largest Muslim population in the United Kingdom as a result of the 2021 census, says it is unaware of any criminal charges being committed by the displaying of Palestinian flags.

When the country goes to the polls, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed that he will be the nominee for Godalming & Ash. Mr Hunt's new South West Surrey constituency is being redrawned of boundaries, but the Lib Dems are now taking the seat. With issues such as Brexit receiving support in the so-called 'Blue Wall,' the Cabinet veteran's majority has declined from over 28,000 in 2015 to less than 9,000 in 2019. Opponents have stated that Mr Hunt's defeat could be recalled alongside that of Michael Portillo, who tragically fell victim to Tony Blair's 1997 landslide while losing Enfield Southgate.

JANE FRYER: I've been lucky enough to visit some strange places in life. Everything from a loo-roll factory to a teapot-themed cafe to Santa's workshop can be found here. Boulby Underground Laboratory beats them all, but Boulby Underground Laboratory wins. For starters, it is home to a team of top astroparticle physicists battling to solve one of the universe's most mysterious mysteries, the existence of dark matter. And if that wasn't enough, it might as well hold the key to life on Mars.

Craig Evans, pictured with his dog Llew, runs coastal foraging tours in South West Wales and discovered the sea lamprey (right) when searching for sea trout. Prey is killed by the ancient creatures, which are also known as 'vampire fish,' in Portugal, kills prey by sucking on their blood.

Minister Lord West (inset, center), a former First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, said yesterday that it was 'extraordinary' that ministers hadn't yet increased spending amid the war in Ukraine and high inflation. He is the latest in a line of senior military figures, ex-defence ministers, and MPs to call for increased spending in the Spring Budget or Integrated Review, which are both set to take place next month. It came amid a controversy over the Royal Navy's sole seaworthy aircraft carrier sailing on board with no fighter jets on board. Last week, HMS Queen Elizabeth flew from Scotland to Scotland for a monthlong training mission. Last week, there was no squadron of F-35 fighter planes.

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: What is the primary purpose of the NHS? Naturally, the best option is to give the sick and injured people care and support. It is certainly the mantra followed by its doctors and nurses, who do an outstanding job in under often challenging circumstances. Sadly, the same cannot always be said of those in charge of the administrative strings, who may be more preoccupied with virtue-signalling and wakefulness than reducing hospital waiting times.

A counter-terrorism initiative in the United Kingdom flagged some of the country's most popular sitcoms and best works of literature as potential signs of far-Right extremism. The flagship Prevent program, which was the subject of a scathing investigation, singled out comedian Yes Minister and The Thick Of It, the 1955 epic war film The Dam Busters, and even William Shakespeare's Complete Works Of It as possible red flags of radicalism. The fiction books, according to the university, were "key texts" for 'white nationalists/supremacists.'

Sir Michael Fallon, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, and Michael Portillo all warn that the dangers facing Britain today are'even hotter' than during the Cold War. However, they claim that in terms of percentage of GDP, Britain is spending less than half of what it did on defense then. They also said that the UK could be in breach of its Nato obligations. In interviews with the Daily Mail, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will press for more cash for defense despite warnings that Britain could fall behind France as Europe's top military power.

EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Michael Portillo, Tory's defence minister, offended the Queen and Prince Philip by promising that their beloved Royal Yacht Britannia will be replaced. The decommissioning was confirmed by the department at the time, but Channel 5's Secrets Of The Royal Palaces claims they were secretly lobbying for a replacement. 'They didn't want this to come out because they knew it would be a PR disaster,' it states. They were really worried about Portillo's involvement and making it a political problem.'

Sir, in the best possible terms at our treatment in the media, I am writing on behalf of my constituents. Thousands of thousands of average, decent, hard-working witchetty grubs have been lured onto the popular ITV show I'm A Celebrity for almost a quarter of a century. . .. Get Me Out of Here! 'Appearing on the telly' was the promise.' Nothing could have been further from the truth.

1958: CRAIG BROWN: 1958: On the children's show Crackerjack, disgraced fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley appears. 'It's a fine way to get my message of European Unity to the young people of this world of ours,' he says. 'I have every reason to believe that my participation on this prestigious display will bring me to the forefront of the political arena.' However, life takes a sour note when roly-poly host Peter Glaze ushers him into a cage that is already occupied by a crocodile.

ROLAND WHITE: The new series began with a sketch of Star Wars, in which Matt Lucas played 'Luke Piewalker', and Noel Fielding was 'Princes Layer Cake.' These were not dad jokes; they were great-grandad farewells. Then there's the fact that Paul Hollywood is the show's tough guy, the Phil Mitchell of patisserie. As he prowled around the tent, this hard-man picture was shared more than once. Paul is, in fact, as soft as a choux bun. He doesn't punch his punches as a judge, but he does have encouraging words of encouragement. Prue Leith can be just as critical, in fact, but it's impossible to be tough when wearing stunning pink spectacles. So what about the really important people, the bakers?

Michael Portillo, a writer and broadcaster, contributes to this week's travel guide. He also explains why Madrid is his favorite Spanish city, recalls walking the Camino Way, and admits that he wishes he was 'a lot better' at speaking Spanish.