“The public want honesty from their politicians. Not showy gimmicks.”

The internet makes it much easier for politicians to communicate directly with voters – think of the interest when David [Cameron] launched WebCameron, or Tony Blair’s rather embarrassing attempt to catch up on YouTube.

Donald Trump does not understand the UK and what happens in the UK.

I was a teenage godmother.

National security is the first duty of government but we are also committed to reversing the substantial erosion of civil liberties.

I have not watched WAGs World, I have not watched the BBC’s Upstairs, Downstairs, either. It would be Downton Abbey, I think.

Tying money up for 40 years doesn’t sound appealing when you are young.

Britain is an open and tolerant country.

As I say the UK’s position on the issue of torture and the use of torture has not changed. Our policy is the same as it has been. We condemn torture.

I was in the Commons recently and saw a young lady wearing a nice pair of shoes. I said I liked them and she said my shoes were the reason she became involved in politics.

Sham marriages have been widespread; people have been allowed to settle in Britain without being able to speak English; and there have not been rules in place to stop migrants becoming a burden on the taxpayer. We are changing all of that.

You can’t solve a problem as complex as inequality in one legal clause.

We all know the stories about the Human Rights Act. About the illegal immigrant who cannot be deported because, and I am not making this up, he had a pet cat.

I’m not someone who feels anger on particular issues.

As I reflect on the results of election I will reflect on what we need to do in the future to take the party forward.

I believe it’s important that we ensure that the police have a modern and flexible workforce. I think that’s what is necessary, so that they can provide the public with the service that they want.

As I’ve said previously as home secretary, dealing with immigration isn’t just a single issue and a single measure and a single step that you take. You’ve got to keep working at that over time.

I’m a comedian, not a politician.

Deliver me from your cold phlegmatic preachers, politicians, friends, lovers and husbands.

Politicians – well, first of all, they should get rid of nuclear weapons, I think.

As film-makers, it is very important for us to find common ground between cultures, and maybe that’s less the case for politicians who benefit more from finding the conflicts and differences between us.

If you are a businessman or a politician in Iran, you can get a visa as quickly as you ask for it.

As the Internet breaks down the last justifications for a professional class of politicians, it also builds up the tools for replacing them.

I think politicians and comedians have a lot in common. One is a group of approval-seeking narcissists who will say and do anything to be liked… and comedians are always talking about politics.

I had a good mind to discontinue permanently the supply of grain to the city, reliance on which had discouraged Italian agriculture, but refrained because some politician would be bound one day to revive the dole as a means of ingratiating himself with the people.