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 1943. Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills (May 2010-May 2015), elected leader of the Liberal Democrats in 2017. Cable gave evidence to the Inquiry on representations made to him about the proposed acquisition of BSkyB by News Corporation from a variety of organisations, MPs and constituents. Cable told the Inquiry he decided that the acquisition raised concerns of public interest and should not proceed. His decision made him the subject of multiple attacks in some national newspapers.
Conservative politician, MP for Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire since 1970. Gave written submission that he was in favour of statutory regulation. Appearing in person, he added that the importance that politicians gave to newspapers was out of proportion to the effect newspapers had on public opinion.
Born 1955. Retired senior police officer with London's Metropolitan Police, most notably having served as a Deputy Assistant Commissioner with the Specialist Operations directorate, commanding the Counter Terrorism Command. In February 2016 he was appointed HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in a written statement to Parliament by Michael Gove.
Deputy Prime Minister at the time of the Inquiry and until 2015. Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015. Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam from 2005 to 2017. Appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2018 New Year Honours for Political and Public Service. Told the Inquiry he believed a strong, free press was the lifeblood of a democracy but that revelations about News of the World phone-hacking had led to widespread revulsion. He gave evidence on the importance of the press in holding politicians to account and raising issues that politicians would rather not see aired.
MP for Charnwood at the time of giving evidence, Dorrell had been responsible for media policy and regulation as heritage secretary in the 1990s, when the Conservative Government decided to do nothing with the Calcutt suggestions for press reforms. Dorrell told the Inquiry he thought "recent wrongdoing" such as phone hacking was a failure of management not of regulation and that a powerful ombudsman could work without intervention from the state. Lord Levenson suggested that a statute giving legal recognition to the Ombudsman's views would not amount to parliamentary control.
British solicitor and Labour Party politician, Member of Parliament since 1982, first for Peckham, and then for successor constituency of Camberwell and Peckham from 1997. Harman was Shadow Deputy Leader at the time of the Inquiry. She had served in various Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet positions and, in her role as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party served twice as Acting Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition. Her evidence covered consideration of regulation and the need for the Inquiry to address media ownership.
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.
Member of Parliament from 1992 to 2015, holding major ministerial positions including (from 2001 to 2007) as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Designated a Core Participant Victim at the Inquiry, she gave extensive evidence, based on her experience both as Secretary of State responsible for media and as a victim of phone-hacking. In her evidence, she accused the press of "total invasion" of her privacy. Jowell accepted £200,000 in damages from the News of the World (£100,000 of which went to a charity), after the police informed her that her phone had been comprehensively hacked. Raised to the peerage in the 2015 Dissolution Honours, Baroness Jowell died from cancer in May 2018.
British Liberal Democrat politician and solicitor. Member of Parliament for North Norfolk since 2001 and chair of the Science and Technology Select Committee since 2017. Gave evidence that he had met News Corporation executive Fred Michel on two occasions and that the proposed takeover of BskyB had been raised. Lamb told the Inquiry that Michel suggested it would be a "pity" if the "fair" coverage given by News Corporation papers to the Lib Dems could not be continued. Lamb reported the conversation to the party leader.
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.
Gave evidence to the Inquiry as statutory Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC). From January 2010 to January 2012, he was Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority (the "MPA"). His public statement that too many police resources were being allocated to the phone-hacking inquiry led some politicians to calls for his resignation.
Peter Mandelson was Labour MP for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004. Held a number of Cabinet positions under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and was European Commissioner for Trade from 2004 to 2008. He denied there had been a "Faustian pact" between Labour and Rupert Murdoch but was of the view that relations between both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown with News International were "closer than were wise".
Prime Minister of the UK and Leader of the Conservative Party since 2016 but, at the time of giving evidence in 2012, Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities. Among other ministerial and Shadow roles, had previously been a Shadow Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport. Gave lengthy evidence on her ministerial oversight of the police and of police/media relations. Offered detailed answers to questions on allegations of phone-hacking and other improper conduct within News International. Asked whether she had ever discussed media policy, Ofcom or BskyB with Rupert Murdoch or anyone representing his interests, she answered "No".
Broadcaster and former politician. Served as MP for Putney from 1979 to 1997, and was John Major’s Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 1990 to 1992 and Secretary of State for National Heritage from April 1992 until resigning later that year. The tabloid press had reported his extra-marital affair and his preference for wearing a Chelsea shirt. He told the Inquiry, “All you will remember about me when I go to my grave is some bloody Chelsea shirt." Mellor said he had been initially persuaded by the Prime Minister not to resign since the PM did not want extra-marital affairs to become resignation issues. After leaving Parliament, Mellor worked as a newspaper columnist, radio presenter and Chair of the Government's Football Task Force.
British Conservative Party politician and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Tatton. Osborne served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Prime Minister David Cameron from 2010 to 2016 and has been editor of the London Evening Standard since May 2017. Answered Inquiry's questions on BSkyB bid and defended his party's appointment of Andy Coulson as head of communications.
Chris Patten was a crossbench member of the House of Lords and a former governor of Hong Kong (1992-1997). Chairman of the BBC Trust at the time of giving evidence, he said regulation of the kind in place for broadcasting would not be appropriate for print journalism. Welcomed ideas such as Cabinet members being obliged to publish details of meetings with journalists.
John Prescott is a former Deputy Prime Minister (1997-2007) who represented Hull East as Labour MP from 1970 to 2010. Submitted "A New Regulatory Framework", a paper on the press drawn up by a Prescott-led working group, to the Inquiry.
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.
Scottish politician. First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. MP for Banff and Buchan from 1987 to 2010, and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) for more than twenty years. Answered questions on transparency and relations between politicians and press with particular relevance to Scotland.
