This week's panel

Question Time, the BBC's premier political programme, was in Hereford on Thursday, 25 May, 2006.

David Dimbleby was joined for the interactive debate by Europe Minister Geoff Hoon MP, vice chair of the Conservative Party Sayeeda Warsi, home affairs spokesman for the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg MP, former MP and associate fellow at Chatham House Oona King, and historian Niall Ferguson.

GEOFF HOON MP

Title: Minister for Europe

Career: Geoff Hoon was recently reshuffled to the Foreign Office as Europe minister but still attends Cabinet.

He was made secretary of state for defence in 1999 and spent six years overseeing British forces in military action in Afghanistan and Iraq.

As Leader of the House, he once stood in for Tony Blair for Prime Minister's Questions.

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SAYEEDA WARSI

Title: Vice Chair of the Conservative Party

Career: Sayeeda Warsi was appointed vice chair in June 2005 and has responsibility for community relations with Muslims in inner cities.

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She was previously an advisor to Michael Howard when he was leader of the party.

Sayeeda was recently selected for David Cameron's so-called "A" list - the priority list of prospective candidates for winnable seats.

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NICK CLEGG MP

Title: Home Affairs Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats

Career: Nick Clegg was promoted to home affairs in March.

A speaker of five European languages, Mr Clegg was previously spokesperson on foreign affairs.

Following the resignation of Charles Kennedy he was touted as a possible leadership contender but was quick to rule himself out and declare his support for Sir Menzies Campbell.

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OONA KING

Title: Associate Fellow at Chatham House

Career: Oona King is a writer, broadcaster and political campaigner.

She was the MP for Bethnal Green and Bow for eight years but was ousted at the last election in a high-profile and controversial campaign by the anti-war campaigner George Galloway.

Oona stills lives in her former constituency and chairs a grass-root organisation to promote local democracy.

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NIALL FERGUSON

Title: Historian

Career: Niall Ferguson is professor of history at Harvard University and a senior research fellow at Oxford University.

He writes a weekly column for the Sunday Telegraph and his latest book "The War of the World" has recently been made into a TV series.

He has been described by Time Magazine as "one of the 100 most influential people in the world".

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