Complex rules restricting our labour markets are not some naturally occurring phenomenon. Just as excessive regulation is not some external plague that's been visited on our businesses.

At the core of the European Union must be, as it is now, the single market. Britain is at the heart of that Single Market, and must remain so.

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

When you’re taking the country through difficult times and difficult decisions you’ve got to take the country with you. That means permanently trying to make the argument that what you’re doing is fair and seen to be fair.

It does not seem to me that the steps which would be needed to make Britain - and others - more comfortable in their relationship in the European Union are inherently so outlandish or unreasonable.

We spend billions of pounds on welfare, yet millions are trapped on welfare. It's not worth their while going into work.

Far from being a drag on growth, making our energy sources more sustainable, our energy consumption more efficient, and our economy more resilient to energy price shocks - those things are a vital part of the growth and wealth that we need