No I'm not a great believer in getting back over things and saying if only, or if, or buts because I don't think we actually get anywhere on that.

If you knowingly and willingly embark on criminal behaviour, the consequences of that should be... that you lose some of your benefits under the current system

The public thinks that homelessness is about not having any accommodation to go to.

For families across the UK who are income-poor, but more than that, whose lives are blighted by worklessness, educational failure, family breakdown, problem debt and poor health, as well as other problems, giving them an extra pound - say through increased benefits - will not address the reason they find themselves in difficulty in the first place.

I hate this argument that says little Britain or something outside, or Britain is part of a wider Europe. We can both be within our trading relationships within Europe but we can also be a fantastic global trader.

In Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool there are white gangs that share the same backgrounds - they come from broken homes, completely dysfunctional, mums for the most part unable to cope, the fathers of these kids completely not in the scene.

Too many couples break up without understanding the consequences for their families.