Ed Miliband

And think of how we challenged the idea of a male dominated Parliament with All-Women shortlists and made the cause of gender equality central to our government. We were right to do so. ”

I felt I could still make a contribution with ideas. I didn't know how, and it has taken me some time to work that out. There were things that mattered to me about the future of the country: inequality, what the post-financial crisis settlement would be. I still felt strongly about all that. ”

Remember, I'm the guy who didn't want the referendum - I wouldn't have had it if I'd been prime minister. But you have to respect how people voted because this was partly about political alienation, so if the response to political alienation is to ignore it, that's a recipe for more political alienation. ”

I don't believe in God personally but I have great respect for those people who do and different people have different religious views in this country. ”

The new generation of Labour is different. Different attitudes, different ideas, different ways of doing politics. ”

The way that you are when you're allowed to be yourself is very different from when you're, say, being interviewed by Jeremy Paxman. You're never given the breathing space. ”

You're running to be prime minister - it's hard to be the person who makes jokes. ”

Freedom and opportunity are precious gifts and the purpose of our politics is to expand them, for all our people. ”

I come from a generation that suffered school lessons in portacabins and crumbling hospitals. I tell you one thing, for the eighteen years they were in power the Tories did nothing to fix the roof when the sun was shining. ”

The numbers that we can welcome to our own countries are relatively small in comparison to the millions that have been displaced, but it's vital because it sets an example. ”