And humility in politics means accepting that one party doesn't have all the answers; recognising that working in partnership is progress not treachery.

For wide swaths of training and education there are valuable spillovers which mean that the private sector needs support from the government. That is why I have been so determined to protect and grow apprenticeships and put higher education on a sustainable footing.

I am a bit of a lefty on some issues.

The government increasingly resembles somebody who is trying to give the kiss of life to a corpse.

We need a new British business bank with a clean balance sheet and an ability to expand lending rapidly to the manufacturers, exporters and high-growth companies that power our economy. Today I can announce we will have one.

I've always been comfortable working with women and I've had two happy marriages. Draw what conclusions you like from that.

Our workforce is very co-operative, very flexible, easy to work with and one of the big selling points. The idea that Britain is still back in the labour market of the '70s is utterly bizarre.