But I am amused and surprised when the darling of the Right coughs into his hand and without a second thought, shakes the hand of a passing voter who has removed her glove. "I do like meeting people," he says. "I particularly like meeting young people - children at their young ages." However, the young do not flock to the Tory party, so Michael Portillo must resign himself to meeting his elders. He and his canvassers stop numerous pensioners, for whom his standard phrase is: "If I can ever be of help, please let me know." Small talk comes as second nature. Yet the only time he seems truly engaged is when the talk turns to Spain. He goes so far as to seek out a Spanish-speaking couple during a ride on a London bus, engaging them in impressive conversation. Though Mr Portillo is a politician, he doesn't scream it I'm used to the take-charge kind. So when Mr Portillo asks one of his staff to figure out which bus to take from Sloane Square to the Tories' Smith Square HQ, I am confused. Ostensibly, the man who once took charge of Britain's defence should be able to figure out which London bus to take.

We end up walking. Thursday morning at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, and for once there is an audible media buzz as William Hague drops by to lend his support. Mr Portillo tries to put to rest speculation on a future leadership bid. "My purpose [if elected]," he reassures the press, "is to give my support and loyalty to William Hague." Their body language gives more away. Mr Hague, slightly taller, and equally as mysterious to this young American, coolly greets Mr Portillo at the hospital He also does more of the talking. Upon his departure, Hague asks if Portillo will be joining him.

When the offer is refused, Hague replies stiffly: "Right, see you soon." Back at the Kensington helm, Mr Portillo continues on his round to meet the locals. "This is a very special constituency with a lot of extraordinary people in it, a lot of remarkable institutions and also a lot of people who have problems of all sorts," he says. Lunch at a local pub, and a stroll around the neighbourhood helps Mr Portillo put his finger on the pulse of the district But I wonder what that pulse is. Friday morning I ask: "Mr Portillo, why should a resident vote for you?" He replies: "That's more or less covered in my literature." Thanks a lot.. By Jo Dillon, Political Correspondent By Jo Dillon, Political Correspondent 14 November 1999 Labour has told gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell to keep out of the Kensington and Chelsea by-election battle against Michael Portillo. OutRage! protester Mr Tatchell had threatened to dog the former defence secretary's campaign for the ultra-safe Tory seat by standing as an independent, but has decided not to do so because it would have meant instant expulsion from the Labour Party, of which he has been a member for many years. Party sources denied that anyone had coerced Mr Tatchell into his decision but admitted he had been approached by homosexual Labour Party members who asked him not to get involved with the campaign. It is understood that Stephen Twigg, the homosexual Enfield Southgate MP who defeated Mr Portillo in the 1997 General Election, was among those who let Mr Tatchell know that his "love of the limelight could help Portillo". A party insider said: "It was put to him that the course he was embarking on was counter-productive.

Portillo was preparing to be a victim and the prospect of having 'noisy oiks' shouting at him was manna from heaven." Labour campaigners and members of the local party have pointed out that the official Labour candidate Robert Atkinson's views on Clause 28, homosexuals in the military and the age of consent are broadly similar to Mr Tatchell's own. Mr Tatchell first said he would take part in the campaign after Mr Portillo beat three short-listed rivals to win the Conservative nomination to contest the late Alan Clark's seat. Mr Portillo's selection victory came just months after he admitted that he had had "some homosexual experiences as a young person" - a move seen as an attempt to wipe his slate clean before a probable Commons comeback. The local Labour party is keen to ensure that Mr Portillo's admission does not become a factor in the by-election campaign, insisting that they have a "political case" against the former Cabinet minister. One key area, which has emerged in their election strategy, is to highlight Labour's commitment to reforming leasehold, since 30 per cent of voters in the constituency live in leasehold properties. Party insiders hope the measure will be included in the Queen's Speech scheduled for next Wednesday The by-election will be held on 25 November.. The Home Office has admitted that the laws governing internet pornography are "outmoded" and in need of urgent update to combat the growing menace of child porn. The Home Office has admitted that the laws governing internet pornography are "outmoded" and in need of urgent update to combat the growing menace of child porn. A spokeswoman last night confirmed that the finishing touches were being put to a wide-ranging review of the sentences for sex offenders. She spoke as a campaign gathered strength demanding harsher sentences for people accessing internet pornography amid heavy criticism of the four-month prison sentence given to the rock star Gary Glitter. Children's groups said the leniency of Glitter's sentence sent the wrong message to paedophiles, and they called for a wide-ranging review of the links between the internet and child pornography, claiming present laws are outdated. Their demands have been reinforced by police groups who feel that their ability to monitor people who set up such websites is inadequate. Glitter was sent to Horfield Prison in Bristol after he admitted 54 charges of making indecent photographs of children under 16, including downloading images of children as young as two on his home computer. Some 4,000 pictures were found on Glitter's computer and the court heard how Glitter would sometimes spend up to 12 hours a day poring over images which Mr Justice Butterfield described as "filthy and revolting" and "of the very, very, worst possible type". But campaigners against child pornography are angered that, with good behaviour, Glitter, 55, could be released in just two months. They argue that such a sentence serves as little or no deterrent to the thousands of other people thought to be accessing such material from their home computers. The maximum sentence Glitter might have received for the offence of producing pornographic photographs of children was three years. "This sounds very light for this sort of reprehensible crime," said Mike Taylor, director of child care for the NSPCC "This sort of thing should always be taken very seriously. We should remember how the children have suffered to produce this kind of material." The NSPCC has called for a government review of child pornography and access to the internet, warning that paedophiles are regularly using child chat lines to gain access to children.