Lady Porter The Pursuit Of Power (Panorama)
From 26 June 1989. The leader of Westminster's Conservative council, Lady Porter, was one of a new breed of town-hall Tories, who sought to roll back the frontiers of the local state. Her flamboyant style made her one of the best-known figures in municipal politics. But Lady Porter's reputation has been in the doldrums since the row over her policy of selling Westminster's cemeteries to developers for a pittance. Now as next year's local elections loom, Lady Porter must look to her majority. John Ware tells the story of her pursuit of power.