Andrew Lansley

“You don't come into government thinking it is going to be easy.”

“I think we have to understand that sugar is an essential component of food; it's just that sugar in excess is an inappropriate and unhelpful diet.”

“When you have an election campaign,it has to be simple and something everybody can relate to.”

“If, over time, patients don't go to some services, then progressively they become less viable, so you do arrive at a point where the conclusion is: 'These are the right services for the future, and this is capacity we don't need.'”

“You all know my commitment to the National Health Service. While I am Secretary of State, the NHS will never be fragmented, privatised or undermined. I am personally committed to an NHS which gives equal access, and excellent care.”

“Peer pressure and social norms are powerful influences on behaviour, and they are classic excuses.”

“Our interaction as patients with the NHS should be on the basis that there's a presumption that all information is shared with us.”

“Tell people that biology and the environment cause obesity and they are offered the one thing we have to avoid: an excuse. As it is, people who see more fat people around them may themselves be more likely to gain weight.”