Nelson Mandela was a towering figure in our time; a legend in life and now in death - a true global hero.

I think we need to just be very clear about what we're trying to do in Afghanistan. Frankly, we're not trying to create the perfect democracy. We're never going to create some ideal society. We are simply there for our own national security.

Too many people are stuck on sickness benefits because of issues that could be addressed but instead are not, some have drug or alcohol problems, but refuse treatment. In other cases, people have problems with their weight that could be addressed, but instead a life on benefits rather than work becomes the choice.

I believe man-made climate change is one of the most serious threats that this country and this world face.

It [European Union] has kept the peace in Europe. Countries used to fight and now they talk. We should be attached to that.

We need to have a bigger and more significant role for national parliaments. There is not, in my view, a single European demos.

There is a growing frustration that the EU is seen as something that is done to people rather than acting on their behalf. And this is being intensified by the very solutions required to resolve the economic problems.