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.
Investigative journalist working for the Daily Mirror. Since 1997, Penman has written a column, originally called Sorted, with various name changes and co-authors over the years, exposing consumer rip-offs and scams run by businesses or individuals. The column has won many awards. Penman gave the Inquiry a detailed account of his methodology, which includes notifying those he writes about before publication.
Activist for the Occupy London movement, which had camped outside St Paul's Cathedral until evicted in February 2012. The movement campaigned for a new political and economic system that would put people, democracy and the environment before profit. He spelt out his reasons for occupying and objected to the press's use of the term "anti-capitalist"; personally, he said, he was anti-neoliberal, anti-corruption and pro-ecological, but not anti-capitalist.
