Actually the royal family were very gracious and good to me. But I also found that the British establishment were never quite sure what to make of me. I was a Labour figure, but I'd come from a very middle-class background. In one sense I offended both traditional right and traditional left. But I thought that was no bad thing.

Labour is the party of law and order in Britain today. Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime.

There's a great frustration with the system. There's a lot of anger out there. But in the end, you need answers and not just anger. But anyway, let me not trespass too much into your politics. I've got enough problems in my own politics.

Power without principle is barren, but principle without power is futile. This is a party of government, and I will lead it as a party of government.

The great advantage of the Lib Dems is precisely that no-one knows what they stand for.

But as I always say to people I'm essentially a public service person.

I learnt a lot in government, and I've learnt a lot since leaving government. The kind of journey of being in government is that you start at your most popular and least capable, and you end at your most capable and least popular.