He began by offering profiles of politicians to regional newspapers. Soon he founded his own newsletter, Westminster Confidential, and a companion publication, the regularly updated Parliamentary Profiles, as well as a heavier tome, The Business Background of M.P.’s, which gave many in Britain their first detailed glimpse into the interlocking worlds of business and politics that were then, and to some extent still are, free of close parliamentary scrutiny.
For half a century, the two publications provided a wealth of engaging information about the Pickwickian cast of characters who populated the halls of British politics. Through their pages, Mr. Roth offered a stream of insights that became indispensable to those caught up in the Westminster world, whether politicians, lobbyists, other journalists or simply people hungry for the raw material of gossip.
His first great scoop came in 1963, with the first report linking John Profumo, the Conservative war minister, with a call girl, Christine Keeler. Summoned by the Conservative chief whip under threat of losing his parliamentary accreditation, Mr. Roth was saved when the scandal broke on the floor of the House of Commons, leading to Mr. Profumo’s resignation and rocking the government of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.

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