“We all know the stories about the Human Rights Act... about the illegal immigrant who cannot be deported because, and I am not making this up, he had a pet cat.”

“You can't solve a problem as complex as inequality in one legal clause.”

“I'm not someone who feels anger on particular issues.”

“We campaigned on the fact that we were going to have to take difficult decisions because of the state of the public finances. When we got into government we discovered that actually the public finances were in an even worse state than we thought.”

“National security is the first duty of government but we are also committed to reversing the substantial erosion of civil liberties.”

“Like Indiana Jones, I don't like snakes - though that might lead some to ask why I'm in politics.”

“I think there is a break down of trust generally, between people and politicians. I think that's come about for a whole variety of reasons.”

“I believe in marriage. I believe marriage is a really important institution, it's one of the most important institutions we have.”

“Flexible working is not just for women with children. It is necessary at the other end of the scale. If people can move into part-time work, instead of retirement, then that will be a huge help. If people can fit their work around caring responsibilities for the elderly, the disabled, then again that's very positive.”

“We need a bold, new, positive vision for the future of our country.”

“People have to make journeys, what we want is people to have alternatives in public transport so that they can make a choice about the sort of way in which they're going to travel.”