This week's panel

Question Time, the BBC's premier political programme chaired by David Dimbleby, will be in Milton Keynes on 29 January. The panel joining him for the interactive debate will be Margaret Beckett MP, Oliver Letwin MP, Menzies Campbell MP, Ian Hislop and Janet Daley

MARGARET BECKETT MP

Title: Secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Career: Margaret Beckett warned Labour MPs that to vote against university top up fees would be "the politics of madness."

She was Labour deputy leader in the early 1990s and became the first woman to lead the party, in a brief acting capacity, after the death of John Smith, before losing out to Tony Blair in the 1994 leadership contest.

She was brought into her current position in 2001 following the foot-and-mouth crisis and has handled sensitive issues such as GM foods, hunting and negotiating with Europe over farm and fishing policy.

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OLIVER LETWIN MP

Title: Shadow Chancellor

Career: Oliver Letwin has pledged to cut one tax a year if the Conservatives come to power, to reform the system and reduce the tax burden of "hard-working families".

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He has enjoyed a meteoric rise through his party's ranks since entering parliament in 1997, but was forced to quit his City job on becoming shadow chancellor in November amid accusations of conflict of interest.

Mr Letwin helped to develop the poll tax during his time with the Downing Street Policy Unit, and has written a book entitled Privatising the World.

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SIR MENZIES CAMPBELL MP

Title: Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Foreign Affairs spokesman

Career: Sir Menzies Campbell has been a persistent critic of the war in Iraq, and has called for a full-scale inquiry into the matter.

One of the Lib-Dem's longest serving and most prominent MPs, the big hitter surprised many by not standing for the party's leadership contest against Charles Kennedy in 1999.

He returned to parliament last year after recovering from cancer and was knighted in the New Year's Honours List.

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IAN HISLOP

Title: Journalist and broadcaster

Career: Ian Hislop is editor of Private Eye, the magazine that lampoons politicians, the media and society and portrays Tony Blair as the vicar of St Albion.

He recently co-wrote a children's BBC TV comedy, My Dad's The Prime Minister, about the embarrassments suffered by the 12-year-old son of a fictional PM.

Well known for his cutting wit, Mr Hislop regularly contributes to a variety of newspapers and is a resident team captain on the BBC show Have I Got News For You.

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JANET DALEY

Title: Journalist, Broadcaster and Writer

Career: Janet Daley accused the BBC of "institutional smugness", "arrogance" and "amateurishness" in today's Daily Telegraph column.

The American-born novellist taught philosophy for 20 years and wrote extensively about art and literary criticism before moving into full-time journalism in 1989.

She is also a frequent contributor to current affairs programmes on TV and radio, and was a regular panellist on the BBC's The Moral Maze.

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BBC One's Question Time is broadcast on Thursdays at 2235 GMT.