Esther McVey

People shouldn't have to lose their accents to get a fair crack at the whip at a job or move up within a sector or industry. ”

What I like to see is people like Beyonce. Here is a woman who is bling-a-ding. Not only does she look like that and act like that - I've seen her perform, and I was blown away - but she is at the top of her profession. ”

My dad started off in scrap metal, real men doing men's jobs. ”

If your route is that you are practically minded, and that is what presses your button, and you do an apprenticeship and you get a job that way, that is fantastic. ”

If that is your route, to go to university and get a job that way, that is fantastic. ”

Universal Credit claimants who refuse to accept a zero hours contract job offer, without good reason, can be subject to a sanction. ”

This is how I am. I'm happy with my friends, my family, my job. ”

Politics has to be a place where women want to go. ”

Has my accent held me back? I don't believe it has at all. I think it can be a colourful accent. ”

Outside Westminster, political debate must seem like white noise that bears little relevance to people's everyday lives. But political choices made by the governments we elect have a real impact on how we live. ”