Esther McVey

My friends have always known there was this more serious side to me, and all my life, I've had Conservative values. ”

Life teaches you it's not where you come from, it's where you get to, and work is exactly the same. ”

I work with a host of amazing women who act as role models, who give their spare time freely to encourage these girls to give things a go, to reach out and take a chance and to explain that should they fail, well that's just a part of life. ”

Politics is all about trust. Trust is like the soul: once gone, it never returns. ”

You only have a true choice when you know what opportunities are out there and what qualifications you need. ”

I've had other friends who had such a burning desire to have children: they have this biological ticking clock. I don't know what happened to mine. Nobody ever wound it up. ”

If people are coming into the country to add an extra dimension, to bring skills and expertise with them, we have always been open to that. ”

We have seen a shift in the focus of education before entering the workplace, with earning and learning the new norm. ”

What does a teacher do in a school? A teacher would tell you off or give you lines or whatever it is, detentions, but at the same times, they are wanting your best interests at heart. They are teaching you, they are educating you, but at the same time, they will also have the ability to sanction you. ”

I come from a background where people have had their own business, where it has been incredibly tough for a long period of time, and you are only as good as the last contract you have got, as the last job you have done, where the notion of a precarious existence does exist, as it does for a lot of people. ”