Michael Portillo net worth stems from journalism and politics. He is a British journalist, broadcaster and former politician.
The estimated Michael Portillo net worth
Michael Portillo net worth is $5 million according to The Bulletin Time. This value points to his well-recognized former political career and his current journalism pursuits.
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Career overview
To begin with, he first worked for a shipping company for a year. Next, he went to the Conservative Research Department, where he worked for three years. Later on, he became the Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for Energy for two years.
From 1981 to 1983, he worked for Kerr McGee Oil Ltd in the UK. Afterwards, he became the Special Advisor to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Politics
In December 1984, he won the Enfield Southgate by-election under the Conservative Party and became a Member of Parliament (MP). As an MP, he acted as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the late John Moore and later on, an assistant whip.
During this time, he joined the government and served as:
- Parliamentary Under Secretary for Social Security
- Minister of State for Transport
- Minister of State for Local Government and Inner Cities
In 1992, he was admitted to the Privy Council and also served as a Cabinet Minister as:
- Chief Secretary to the Treasury
- Secretary of State for Employment (1994 – 1995)
- Secretary of State for Defence (1995 – 1997)
In the 1997 elections, he lost his parliamentary seat. He went back to work as an advisor for Kerr McGee Oil Ltd. He also became a journalist who wrote weekly columns for The Scotsman. He also presented the Portillo’s Progress on Channel 4, Great Railway Journeys on BBC2 and radio programmes.
In November 1999, he won the by-election of Kensington and Chelsea and became an MP again. From 2000 to September 2001, he was the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. Later on, he left the House of Commons in 2005 and did not seek re-election.
During this period, he also served as a non-executive director of BAE Systems from September 2002 to March 2006.
Post-politics
In 2006, he was a Board Member at Kerr-McGee Corporation. He also continued pursuing his journalism career with television programmes such as:
- Art that shook the world: Richard Wagner’s Ring
- Portillo in Euroland
- Great Britons
- When Michael became a single mum
- Portillo Goes Wild in Spain
- The Science of Killing
- Dinner with Portillo
- The lady’s not for Spurning
He also presented documentaries about the Spanish Civil War and Guantanamo Bay. On radio, he aired the series Democracy on Trial on BBC Radio 4 in 2010. From 2006, he has been part of The Moral Maze on BBC Radio 4.
In addition to this, he presented This Week on BBC1. Michael Portillo also presented 100 programmes for BBC2 on Great British Railway Journeys and Great Continental Railway Journeys. Furthermore, he wrote weekly columns for The Sunday Times for six years.
Final thoughts on Michael Portillo net worth
Michael Portillo’s varied career as a politician and a journalist has proven successful based on his net worth value. His transition from politics to journalism has also earned him global recognition for his deep historical knowledge and storytelling.
Featured image: Michael Portillo on michaelportillo.co.uk
