Prime Minister of UK and Leader of Labour Party 2007 - 2010, prior to which he was Chancellor of the Exchequer in Blair Government from 1997 - 2007. Brown was a Member of Parliament from 1983 - 2015, first for Dunfermline East and later for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. Stood down as MP in 2015. Brown criticised the Sun for use of unauthorised information about his son's medical details and accused Rupert Murdoch of lying on oath. He criticised James Murdoch of "breathtaking arrogance" and claimed that the Conservative Party adopted all the policies put forward by the Murdoch company.
Born 1957. Journalist and author and former press secretary to Tony Blair as Leader of the Opposition (1994-97) and as Prime minister (1997-2000). From 2000-2003, he was director of communications for the Labour Party (2000-03). Before 1994, he had been political editor of Today newspaper and the Daily Mirror. Campbell gave detailed testimony on the political media and what he saw as the decline of genuine investigative journalism and the increasing tendency of owners, editors and senior journalists to wish to be political players. Embellishment and pure invention were tolerated and encouraged by some editors and owners, he said.
Born 1961, died 2014. British trade-union leader who served as General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) from 2002 until his death. Member of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and self-described "communist/socialist". Crow gave evidence that he was under constant surveillance by the press, suffering considerable intrusion into his public and private life. He gave the Inquiry examples of intrusion which he believed relied on illicit surveillance and/or phone hacking.
Conservative MP for Surrey Heath and Education Secretary at the time of the Inquiry. A former journalist at the Aberdeen Press and Journal, the Times, the BBC and the Spectator. Told the Inquiry that sometimes "individuals reach for regulation in order to deal with failures of character or morality, and sometimes that regulation is right and appropriate but some of us believe that before the case for regulation is made, the case for liberty needs to be asserted as well".
British Labour Party politician, born 1960, who served as Home Secretary from 2009 to 2010. Other cabinet positions in the Blair and Brown governments include Health Secretary and Education Secretary. He served as MP for Hull West and Hessle from 1997 to 2017. Answered questions at the Inquiry on phone-hacking allegations against the News of the World and on police action cases against royal correspondent Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, following stints as Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Thatcher Government. Had retired from politics at time of giving evidence, having been MP for Huntingdon from 1979 to 2001. He told the Inquiry that in a private meeting before the 1997 general election, Rupert Murdoch had pressed for the Conservative Government to alter policy regarding the EU or risk losing the support of his papers. In the event, The Sun did back Labour in the 1997 election. While characterising the UK press as a whole as a "curate's egg", Major told the Inquiry he believed The Sun had "lowered the tone" of public life. He believed newspaper proprietors should be "personally liable" for articles in their newspapers, not able to "wash their hands" of alleged wrongdoing by individual reporters.
A former Labour MP for Motherwell (1987-2010), John Reid held a number of Cabinet positions under Tony Blair including Health Secretary, Defence Secretary and Home Secretary. He retired from frontline politics in 2007 following Gordon Brown's appointment as Prime Minister. Gave evidence on the immediate aftermath of the arrests of Glenn Mulcaire and Clive Goodman, for which, he said, he received briefing papers only the day after.
At the time of the Inquiry, Richards was Chief Executive of Ofcom, the independent regulator for the communications industry in the UK, stepping down in 2014. He told the Inquiry that he thought any proposal for editors to be part of a new regulatory board, as proposed by Lord Black, would not work. Previously worked as a senior policy adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair, and before that as Controller of Corporate Strategy at the BBC.
English politician and MP for Blackburn from 1979 to 2015. Served in Cabinet from 1997 to 2010 under governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Home Secretary from 1997 to 2001 and Foreign Secretary from 2001 to 2006 under Blair. From 2007 to 2010 served as Lord Chancellor and as Secretary of State for Justice throughout Brown's Premiership. Gave extensive evidence on special advisers, political journalists and editors, as well as evidence on the ability of ordinary people to get justice and the relationship between senior police and senior journalists.
At the time of the Inquiry, editor of The Times website and previously Political Editor of The Times. Webster was responsible for many scoops over the years from John Major's affair with Edwina Currie to the interview with Tony Blair on 31 August 2006 that ultimately led him to stand down. He told the Inquiry that he welcomed the death of deference to politicians but was less happy with the lack of respect. He gave the example of Gordon Brown being asked if he was on anti-depressants – for which, he said, there was no evidence at all.
Barrister and lecturer, married to former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and patron of The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. In 2013, Blair was awarded damages for her claims against News of the World in relation to the unlawful interception of her voicemails. Had raised a number of complaints over the years with publications such as the Daily Mail about inaccurate and invasive reporting, evidence of which was presented to the Inquiry.
Labour MP for Rhondda. Member of the Commons Media Select Committee, where he raised concerns about News International journalists making payments to police officers. Bryant told the Inquiry that, shortly after this, his phone was hacked by the News of the World and Bryant was reported by several papers to have used a gay dating site. In 2012, he received £30,000 damages from NI.
British Labour Party MP for Watford 1997-2010 and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice from 2009 to 2010. Ward told Inquiry that within weeks of becoming an MP she was subject to intense media intrusion and threats, including from the News of the World, purporting to have compromising photographs of her.
Centre-left political party in the UK, including social-democratic, democratic-socialist and trade-unionist outlooks. Harriet Harman QC MP presented the party's written evidence for the future of the press, presenting comprehensive options. She identified two deep-rooted problems: lack of redress for complaints and concentration of ownership. Summarised three options and the party's views on their strengths and weaknesses: a contractual system under a new PCC, a voluntary system with incentives, and statutory arrangements (for which, she said, a YouGov poll found 62 per cent support).
