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.

There are unquestionably links between al-Qaida and Iraq.

In government you carry each hope; each disillusion. And in politics it's always about the next challenge.

There is good evidence that last year's European heat wave was influenced by global warming. It resulted in 26,000 premature deaths and cost $13.5bn.

There are millions of young children being educated to a very narrow-minded view of religion. And it's out of that education of large numbers of young people that you then get this extremism.

Look, I am very competitive.

There is nothing like waking up at six in the morning and changing a baby's nappy to bring you face to face with life's reality.