My forebears refused to cut the sugar cane for plantation owners, and I am recognisably a product of that background.

I don't think you can have pain and soul-searching doing the right thing for your child.

Outsiders often have an insight that an insider doesn't quite have.

Gun crime is a major cause of fear and distress throughout the UK. The problem is deeply entrenched in a wide range of social and cultural factors and therefore not an isolated issue.

I was a postman one Christmas and I developed a morbid fear of dogs.

My mother liked Jim Reeves. I hated his records. He was unbearable.

Being an MP is a good job, the sort of job all working-class parents want for their children -- clean, indoors and no heavy lifting. What could be nicer?