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".
At the time of the Inquiry, Blott was Regional Managing Director of Herald and Times, which published The Herald, Sunday Herald and Evening Times papers in Scotland and was a division of the Newsquest Media Group. Blott told the Inquiry that he had been aware of a covert journalistic investigation into political lobbying where secret recording was undertaken. The recording, which was later destroyed, complied fully with Press Complaints Commission guidelines, he told 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.
