This week's panel

Question Time, the BBC's premier political programme, was in Fareham on Thursday, 24 November, 2005.

David Dimbleby was joined by Lord Hattersley, Alan Duncan MP, John Thurso MP, political consultant Lorna Fitzsimons and Jane Moore of The Sun.

LORD HATTERSLEY

Title: Deputy Leader of the Labour Party 1983-92

Career: Often referred to as the best leader Labour never had, Roy Hattersley was beaten in the bid for the party leadership by Neil Kinnock in 1983.

INTERACT WITH QUESTION TIME Text your comments to 83981 Read comments on Ceefax page 155 Send and read comments on the website

He has extensive ministerial experience in defence, education and foreign affairs. He was a Labour Member of Parliament from 1964 to 1997 and became a peer in 1997.

The author of several publications, Roy also writes a regular column for the Guardian.

---

ALAN DUNCAN MP

Title: Shadow Transport Secretary

Career: Alan Duncan is backing David Cameron to succeed Michael Howard as the next leader of the Conservative Party.

Mr Duncan first joined the Tory front bench as health spokesman in 1998 and was appointed to his current position in May 2005. He is the first openly gay Tory MP.

A close ally of former Conservative leader William Hague, Alan Duncan supported Michael Portillo in the 2001 leadership contest. He also favoured John Kerry to win the US Presidential election in 2004.

---

JOHN THURSO MP

Title: Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Scottish Affairs

Career: John Thurso is the first hereditary peer to have been elected to the Commons, having previously sat in the Lords.

He voted to abolish hereditary peers and refused a life peerage.

The frontbench Liberal Democrat spokesman on Scottish affairs, his grandfather Sir Archibald Sinclair was leader of the Liberal Party from 1935 to 1945.

---

Lorna Fitzsimons

Title: Senior Fellow at the Defence Academy

Career: Lorna Fitzsimons is a senior fellow at the Defence Academy.

She was a Labour MP until May when she narrowly lost her seat. It was believed this was due to her support for the war in Iraq.

Lorna entered politics in 1997 and was often referred to as a "Blair Babe". Since leaving Westminster she has set up her own political consultancy.

---

Jane Moore

Title: Columnist, The Sun

Career: Jane Moore is the longest standing female columnist for The Sun.

She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and has written four novels.

In her column this week Jane said that she was "edging towards" the reintroduction of the death penalty in response to the shooting of police officer Sharon Beshenivsky.

---

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