The first rule in politics is that there are no rules, at least not in the sense of inevitable defeats or inevitable victories. If you have the right policy and the right strategy, you always have a chance of winning. Without them, you can lose no matter how certain the victory seems.

I think most people who have dealt with me think I'm a pretty straight sort of guy, and I am.

If people in the end think that you can't do something in a way which is acceptable then it won't fly. The only way you get anything like this done is if people think, 'I understand why it is being done.'

The full horror of what has happened in the United States earlier today is now becoming clearer. It is hard even to contemplate the utter carnage and terror which has engulfed so many innocent people. We've offered President Bush and the American people our solidarity, our profound sympathy, and our prayers. But it is plain that citizens of many countries round the world, including Britain, will have been caught up in this terror.

I would've loved to have been in a band, but sadly I just wasn't good enough.

We in a sense went for the Bernie Sanders model OK? Now we're also in turmoil as a result of this result.

People know where I stand in the Labour party and what I believe in.