Portillo moment

English Etymology Originally referred to the 1997 United Kingdom general election in which Michael Portillo, a prominent Conservative representing what was thought to be a safe seat, unexpectedly lost to the Labour candidate. Noun en UK politics An election loss for a prominent politician. en 2013 Paddy Duffy Did That Actually Happen?: A Journey Through Unbelievable Moments in Irish Politics Hachette UK 9781444750423 But with FF seat losses by the dozen all over the country, the Portillo moments were stacked on several levels, like a good tin of biscuits. en 2015-05-07 Possibly the biggest Portillo moment north of the border, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury is also in danger of losing his seat according to the marginal polls. Election night: the ten ‘Portillo moments’ to watch out for Sebastian Payne http://blogs.new.spectator.co.uk/2015/05/election-night-the-ten-portillo-moments-to-watch-out-for/ The Spectator en 2015-05-08 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/andrea-jenkyns-ousts-ed-balls-5658859 Andrea Jenkyns ousts Ed Balls: Everything you need to know about Tory who defeated Labour giant Dan Bloom The Mirror It's the 2015 General Election's Portillo moment - but who is the Tory who's scalped shadow chancellor Ed Balls by just 422 votes? https://web.archive.org/web/20260919062710/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/andrea-jenkyns-ousts-ed-balls-5658859 19 September 2026 Synonyms en decapitation en scalp, en scalping en eponyms