45. Tom Watson

Job: Member of parliament Age: 44 Industry: politics Salary: £65,738 New entry Tom Watson has been one of the key players in the fight to reveal the truth about phone hacking at the News of the World. The Labour MP for West Bromwich East and member of the House of Commons culture, media and sport select committee has been highlighting wrongdoing at the News International title for two years, revealing that the paper may have targeted the families of the Soham murder victims. A close ally of Gordon Brown, Watson's resignation as defence minister in 2006 helped hasten Tony Blair's departure from Downing Street. The former trade union official who entered parliament in 2001 later returned to government as a whip and minister for digital engagement. When he was named by the House magazine as select committee member of the year, fellow MP David Davis said he was proof that "a select committee member can turn the world upside down". "Something had clearly gone wrong with newspapers and somebody had to get to the truth," said Watson . "There weren't many MPs who were prepared to do that for fear of being targeted, so I decided I had to do it." A self-confessed gadget geek and prolific blogger and tweeter , Watson describes himself as a "busy dad, disorganised politician, lover of film and video games".