Labour figures at heart of email trail

The key players in the email smear scandal....

Tom Watson

The Cabinet Office minister has a desk next to Damian McBride's in the new open plan "hub and spokes" office at Downing Street. He was mentioned in the McBride email and has yet to make clear whether he was aware of the planned Red Rag website.

Derek Draper

Brought in to front the LabourList website, he planned Red Rag and told Damian McBride the email smears were "absolutely totally brilliant". He was Gordon Brown's guest at Chequers with TV presenter wife Kate Garraway last November, just 12 days after the Red Rag name was registered.

Charlie Whelan

Brown's former press secretary, who was sent the McBride email, is a regular visitor to talks at No 10. Downing Street insists he attends in his new role as political director of the trade union Unite but Labour MPs say he is advising the PM on campaigns.