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.
Political Editor of the Mail on Sunday at time of giving evidence. A Lobby member since 1983, Walters previously worked at The Sun and Sunday Express. In 2013, he was Political Journalist of the Year, the third time he had been given the accolade. One of the stories commended was his revelation that Lord Leveson had "threatened to quit" over criticism from a Cabinet Minister. Another concerned text messages between David Cameron and former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks revealing that the Government would resist calls arising from the Leveson Inquiry for tougher press legislation.
