Peter Brooke served in the Cabinet under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and was the Member of Parliament representing the Cities of London and Westminster from 1977 to 2001. Gave evidence on his period as Heritage Secretary (1992-1995) during which time the Calcutt Committee recommendations on self-regulation of the press and Clive Soley's bill on press ownership were being discussed.
Baroness Buscombe is an English barrister and politician and a Conservative member of the House of Lords. She was Chief Executive of the Advertising Association from 2007 to 2009 and served as Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission from 2009 to 2011. At the time of giving evidence she was still Chairman but her successor had been appointed. Buscombe spoke of inadequate political support for the PCC and lack of support from the industry. She also believed that the issue of rights and privileges of journalists required careful analysis.
Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 and UK Prime Minister when the Inquiry was set up. Cameron was close to the Murdoch newspapers and had appointed Andy Coulson, former editor of the News of the World, as his principal media adviser. Gave extensive evidence to the Inquiry agreeing that self-regulation was not working but arguing that statutory regulation was worrying. He admitted Coulson was “a controversial appointment” but said he had had no overt or covert deal with 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.
Journalist and political strategist, Andy Coulson was editor of the News of the World from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's reporters in relation to illegal phone-hacking. David Cameron appointed Coulson as communications director in 2007. Coulson resigned on 21 January 2011 as reports of News of the World phone hacking intensified. He was arrested 8 July 2011 and in 2014 found guilty of conspiracy to intercept voicemail, serving five months of an 18-month sentence.
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.
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".
David Hunt, Conservative politician and former member of Cabinet during the Margaret Thatcher and John Major administrations, was appointed chairman of Press Complaints Commission as the Leveson Inquiry was getting underway (replacing Baroness Buscombe). He said he hoped to lead "wholesale regeneration and renewal of the system of independent self-regulation of the press".
British Conservative Party politician, Member of Parliament for South West Surrey since 2005. At the time of the Inquiry, Hunt was Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (2010-2012). He was questioned extensively on phone calls and discussions surrounding News Corporation's attempted takeover of BSkyB.
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.
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".
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 Wakeham, former Conservative Party politician and former Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission. Between 1998 and 2012, he was Chancellor of Brunel University, and since then has been appointed its Chancellor Emeritus. He was a director of Enron from 1994 until its bankruptcy in 2001. Gave his view that statutory regulation would be acrimonious and hard to achieve.
Born 1948, Virginia Bottomley was a British Conservative Party politician and former Secretary of State for Health and for Culture, Media and Sport. Stepped down from the House of Commons at the 2005 general election, and was offered a peerage later that year. Bottomley gave evidence to the Inquiry on the DCMS at the time of her appointment in 1995 and of debate about the 1990 Calcutt Report and issues of privacy and regulation.
Councillor in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets since 2006 and leader of the opposition Conservative Group on the council since 2007. Previously Golds served as a councillor in the London Borough of Brent between 1990-1998.
British Politician serving as Conservative MP for Ashford since 1997. Before entering politics, Green worked as a journalist for the BBC, Channel 4 and The Times. Following the June 2017 general election, Green was appointed First Secretary of State and Minister for the Cabinet Office, a position he resigned from later that year following a breach in the ministerial code.
British conservative politician and former British Army officer. Since May 2016, he has served as the Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner.
