Quotes

New Labour as an idea is irrevocably tied to the personality of Tony Blair. New Labour without Tony Blair is like Genesis without Peter Gabriel - they continued, there was a market for what they had but the genius had disappeared.

I don't begrudge McKellen (Ian McKellen) or Gambon (Michael Gambon) their honours, but Lee (Christopher Lee) is quite simply our greatest living screen star. He is 87 next year. A career in which he has played Counts, from Dracula to Dooku, cannot continue with him still a commoner.

It's an English disease to pay too close attention to where someone went to school.

[When reminded that financial experts had warned that leaving the European Union would damage Britain] People in this country have had enough of experts.

I love Nick Clegg. Sympathy is not the emotion I feel, it's admiration. He is a brave, gutsy and principled politician as well as being a nice and decent person. He's a pleasure to spend time with. He's very thoughtful, decent, humane. All his personal dealings are very honourable.

I am grateful to the honorable gentleman for that well rehearsed question. I know that he is a brilliant musician, but in the words of the Pet Shop Boys, he's got the brains and I've got the looks, and together - I suspect - we could make lots of money.

I'm a realist and one of the things about politics is you mustn't, you shouldn't, make the perfect the enemy of the good.

He hasn't got us over a barrel. We've got him over a barrel of herring and a barrel of mackerel.