Quotes

I would have liked to be the leader of the Conservative Party and I still would. But I've run twice and I can't see another opportunity coming up in the future.

The TRG (Tory Reform Group) remains the best place for those who, like me, believe in a market economy and individual liberty combined with a social conscience.

I had a bad habit of rocking back on my chair from our old-fashioned Victorian bench desks. One day I crashed over backwards having already been warned not to do this. I remember my shock and surprise when my teacher Mr Burnett gave me six of the best on each hand for having caused such disruption. I did not do it again. Mr Burnett must actually have been a remarkable teacher because, despite the class size, he inspired me to work hard and to enjoy my schoolwork. Now, looking back, I am eternally grateful to him. His teaching was old-fashioned, and included a lot of rote learning. But in his stern and unbending way he ensured we made extremely good progress. I don't think, though, that I was an out-of-place swot. I was just another lively child running in and out of the school during the breaks, with all the same enthusiasms as my schoolmates.