Iain Duncan Smith Quotes

[Andrea] Leadsom has compassion ... a real steel and a real determination and that velvet glove of compassion that she really cares about people.

When families are strong and stable, so are children - showing higher levels of wellbeing and more positive outcomes. But when things go wrong - either through family breakdown or a damaged parental relationship - the impact on a child's later life can be devastating.

Government cannot do it all. As we work hard to break welfare dependency and get young people ready for the labour market, we need businesses to give them a chance and not just fall back on labour from abroad.

If you look at the footballers, you look at our celebrity culture, we seem to be saying, 'This is the way you want to be'. We seem to be a society that celebrates all the wrong people.

Gang members have invariably grown up in broken, chaotic homes, often experiencing domestic violence; they have truanted from school and many have been formally excluded; and they live in neighbourhoods where worklessness, addiction and crime are rife.

I think almost every political leader is always told that the next speech they make is the most crucial one.

That thing, 'You must stay together for the kids', is out of fashion but is right. It's not arguing parents that children don't like, it is having one parent.

If you knowingly and willingly embark on criminal behaviour, the consequences of that should be... that you lose some of your benefits under the current system

Can there not be a limit to the fact that really you need to cut your cloth in accordance with what capabilities and finances you have?

After years of piecemeal reform the current welfare system is complex and unfair.

I hate this argument that says little Britain or something outside, or Britain is part of a wider Europe. We can both be within our trading relationships within Europe but we can also be a fantastic global trader.

Even as our economy starts to pick up, and new jobs are created, there is a risk that young people in Britain won't get the chances they deserve because businesses will continue to look elsewhere.

For families across the UK who are income-poor, but more than that, whose lives are blighted by worklessness, educational failure, family breakdown, problem debt and poor health, as well as other problems, giving them an extra pound - say through increased benefits - will not address the reason they find themselves in difficulty in the first place.

Kids are meant to believe that their stepping stone to massive money is 'The X Factor.'

All too often, government's response to social breakdown has been a classic case of 'patching' - a case of handing money out, containing problems and limiting the damage but, in doing so, supporting - even reinforcing - dysfunctional behaviour.

The person that takes over needs to have the skills to manage that .

.. I believe Andrea [Leadsom] has the edge.

Thankfully, due to the United Kingdom and the commitment of the Westminster government we are able to ensure that money brought in, whether it be from the City of London or from North Sea oil, can be pooled and directed to wherever it is needed most.

We do a disservice to society if we ignore the evidence which shows that stable families tend to be associated with better outcomes for children.

With high underemployment - currently over one million part-time workers in the UK want to work more hours - sanctioning clients who cannot increase their hours seems to be both unworkable and unfair.

I think that the status that you have in life should be reflected in official documents. If you are married, fine, if you are living with someone, fine, if you are single, fine. We don't want to tell people how to live their lives.

Well obviously the economy is critical to everything we do and we need to get the economy back in shape, the deficit down, the debt paid off, so that the economy can grow again and grow properly.

Aspiration, it seems, is in danger of becoming the preserve of the wealthy.

A good proportion of foreign nationals in jobs in the UK are in semi or low-skilled occupations.

The future of Conservatism lies in our beliefs and values, not by throwing them away. We need to shed associations that bind us to past failures, but hold faith with those things that make us Conservatives.

Too many couples break up without understanding the consequences for their families.

I am not going to go round trying to make people say 'Wow!'.

.. I'm not going to play Hollywood lookalikes.

My personal view is always I'm in favour of anything that gives parliament a greater say. That's after all what we were elected for.

I went up to the top of the career ladder and I came down again, I am past all that.

With participation in politics so low at the moment I think Christians should ensure their views are represented at all levels and not leave it to others.

Over the years the political establishment has frowned if a mainstream politician mentions marriage.

If Britain is to have a stable, affordable pension system, people need to work longer, but we will reward their hard work with a decent state pension that will enable them to enjoy quality of life in their retirement.

I am an optimist about the UK. We have been involved in trade with our European partners, which we will always be doing whatever this relationship is. We are a member of the EU. That gives us benefits. But we have to figure out where that is going. In the world, we are a global trader already.

What we want to do is reform the welfare system in the way that Tony Blair talked about 13 years ago but never achieved - a system that was created for the days after the Second World War. That prize is now I think achievable.

You cannot stop what the public want.

The public want two strong women in the final round and then a woman prime minister and I'm absolutely with that.

Well football teams are perhaps easier to control than political parties, I'm sure the Prime Minister would agree with me, but yeah I think every team needs discipline and a sense of self-belief and that's important, that's what leadership's all about.

We do not celebrate people who have made success out of serious hard work.

Do not underestimate the determination of a quiet man.

The financial costs of family breakdown are incredibly high.

There is nothing people can throw at me to say: Do this, do that.

By measuring the proportion of children living with the same parents from birth and whether their parents report a good quality relationship we are driving home the message that social programmes should promote family stability and avert breakdown.

I do not believe the picture that some people paint of Scottish towns dependent on welfare. Every time I come here, I meet people who are determined to get into work. Who, with the right help are desperate to get off benefits, support their family and set an example for their children.

My view is pensioners don't have the one option that people of working age have.

They can't really increase their income, because they are no longer able to work.

All I can say to the others is, 'Look out, we're on our way.

We do need to have a little bit more protection and sensibility around pensioners. They are remarkable. They gave so much. We need to make sure we do our best by them.

What happened I think on Sept. 11 was we were given graphic and clear evidence that things had changed.

We have to ensure that our immigration system works in the interests of Britain, enabling us to make a realistic promise to our young school-leavers. It is part of our contract with the British people.

A system that was originally designed to support the poorest in society is now trapping them in the very condition it was supposed to alleviate.

Balance is if you try hard, you work hard then the rewards are in balance with what you put in and what is available.

With the right support, a child growing up in a dysfunctional household, who was destined for a lifetime on benefits could be put on an entirely different track - one which sees them move into fulfilling and sustainable work. In doing so, they will pull themselves out of poverty.

In many ways Scotland will benefit more than other parts of the UK when universal credit comes in. A larger percentage of people will see an increase in their income through moving into work or taking on more hours.