William Hague

“I don't deny that there are problems in the intelligence world, but I would argue that in the UK we try to uphold the highest standards in the world.”

“It's really necessary for the United States to continue to give strong leadership to the Middle East peace process, supported by European countries at the same time.”

“Spending only what the country can afford, rewarding savings, encouraging independence, supporting marriage: people know that these things are common sense.”

“When a Cabinet Minister who is sacked for telling lies is re-appointed, in the face of every constitutional convention, only for the same man to be sacked again from the same Cabinet for the same offence by the same Prime Minister no wonder the public are cynical about politics.”

“When the Lord Chancellor violates the trust of his great office of state to solicit party donations from people whose careers he can control, and then says I'm not sorry, and I'd do it again no wonder the public think that power has gone to their heads.”

“The world is not going into concentric blocs of power. It is actually going into a diffusion of power with more centres of decision-making than ever in human civilisation. That requires you to place yourself in far more hubs of power than ever before.”

“We are not directly involved in Syria. But we will be working with our partners in the European Union and at the United Nations to see if we can persuade the Syrian authorities to go, as I say, more in that direction of respect for democracy and human rights.”

“Where defining foreign policy as 'ethical' went wrong was that it implied that all decisions would be exclusive in every respect of any dealings with unethical regimes.”

“To the teacher weighed down with paperwork, I say: you've been messed around too often. You came into teaching to spend your time teaching children not filling in forms.”

“There is no budget for travel for a Shadow Foreign Secretary.”

“I trust the people.”

“The war in Iraq, clearly has not turned out in the way that was hoped.”

“There's only one growth strategy: work hard.”