I'm very proud of what my parents achieved and what they stood for. They didn't have much, but in many ways they were richer than most.

I thought I could do something different from any Conservative prime minister before me. But I couldn't.

My mother was the center of the family.

Well, I think there's a distinction between sexing-up the intelligence and sexing-up the presentation of the intelligence.

Only in Britain could it be thought a defect to be too clever by half. The probability is that too many people are too stupid by three-quarters.

I mean if you have ever found a politician who says, 'No, no, I would do everything exactly as I did,' then you can tell when he is lying because his lips are moving.

I would rather go while I am being urged to stay, than to stay beyond the time when I should go.