’ Sunday with Michael Portillo saw the broadcaster reveal that a 2023 covered his own 2 documentary series.
He announced: “A leaked report from 2023 produced by a team at the Home Office has suggested that watching programmes such as my travel log, , could be a sign of far-right activity.
“The team’s most recent report has been rejected completely by ministers,” adding: “I’ll be discussing that with extremism and security expert Professor Anthony Glees.”
Ahead of the discussion, the news of the leaked report sparked fury among fans who were perplexed that the travel series would be linked to extremism.
Since its premiere in 2010, the series has seen Portillo travel around the country by train, exploring the ways that society and industry have changed since the guide produced by cartographer George Bradshaw was first published during the Victorian era.
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Michael Portillo discussed the report on his GB News show (Image: GB News)
Taking to X, a shocked viewer remarked: “The Home Office must be so grotesquely overstaffed.”
Another slammed the report: “That’s absolutely ridiculous! I enjoy his railway journeys, and there’s nothing political about appreciating history, travel, and well-presented storytelling.”
A third echoed: “Calling Michael Portillo far right is just WILD. Calling the Great British Journeys far right… is just wild to me,” as one couldn’t believe the findings and remarked: “This is the funniest thing I’ve heard in aaaaages!”
Talking to the expert, Portillo asked: “Why are senior officials, at least, not trying not trying to stop this stuff before it pops up and embarrasses ministers in the Government?”
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Michael Portillo presents Great British Railway Journeys (Image: BBC)
Glees responded: “The unit that produced this report and the report you identify from 2023 is called RICU, the Research Information and Communication Unit.
“It’s based in the Home Office but it’s in that kind of shadowy area between between what the Home Office does and what the security service MI5 ought to be doing.
Or what the special branch used to do before it was turned into the counter-terrorist police force.
The expert added: “I think it is absolutely right that we have people or analysts looking at what’s going on out there, the attitudes of people who might conceivably turn towards terror and the aim of this is to prevent terror attacks from happening.”