We shall seek debate without division or rancour.

The Scottish Labour Party, while I have breath in my body, will listen to the views of trade unionists.

It's true across the U.K. that those who had least to do with causing the economic crisis are carrying the heaviest burden. That's unacceptable.

My working life has always been wrapped up in doing my job to the best of my abilities and doing the best for my family. It is not a contest between the two.

My biggest ambition is to bring together what happens in the real world with what politicians talk about.

I've got a very deep and abiding passion about education being far more than buildings and textbooks; it's what children bring into school with them.

I'm pretty proud of having completed a marathon myself, so I can only imagine the pride that real athletes feel when they are picked for the Olympic or the Paralympic Games.