Portillo is first guest in 'Celebrity Series'

Barclays Wealth is supporting the inaugural event of the 'Celebrity Series', with guest speaker Michael Portillo, on November 30 this year.

The 'Celebrity Series' has been established by Sporting and Dining Club founder John Wannenburgh and will follow 'an audience with' format, familiar from television programmes.

The events will be held at the Gaiety Theatre in Douglas twice a year, and the ex-Conservative MP will be the first guest speaker.

Mr Portillo has a wide and varied political career which began after he spent three years working at the Conservative Research Department.

During the 1979 general election he was responsible for briefing Margaret Thatcher for press conferences and spent the next two years as special adviser to the secretary of state for energy.

His own career in politics began in 1984 when he won won a by-election in Enfield Southgate and held the seat for 13 years.

He held a number of senior positions in the Conservative government, including chief secretary to the Treasury, secretary of state for employment, and secretary of state for defence.

He was admitted to the Privy Council in 1992 and was MP for Kensington and Chelsea from 1999 until May 2005.

Managing director of Barclays Wealth Isle of Man Simon Scott said: 'Barclays Wealth is delighted to be supporting the first 'Celebrity Series' event. Michael Portillo is an accomplished and renowned speaker and we will all be interested to hear more about his time in Westminster and new projects he is currently working on. It will be a fantastic event and I am very much looking forward to more in 2012.'