Ann Widdecombe

“I'd rather form my own party than ever join Ukip. We could call it the Widdy Mob. I'm joking.”

“I am not a natural dancer, not even a half way competent dancer.”

“Cats, unlike dogs, are independent creatures. They do not need walking and are content to be alone all day, providing they are fed.”

“Insult is in the ear of the listener. Statements of fact cannot be insulting unless you feel that the label applied indicates some failing, moral or otherwise, in yourself.”

“Not even the severest critics of Jeffrey Archer can deny his style.”

“Unfortunately, if the man who leaves the prison gates is just as likely or - as is sometimes grievously the case - more likely to offend as he was when he entered them, then we fail not only the individual but public safety as well.”

“Always carry a handkerchief. Especially in television studios.”

“If we deny our culture and become nothing and everything, that weakens us.”

“If I were queen for a day, every city would have to spend one hour in utter silence: no music in shops and restaurants, no honking of horns, no conversations on mobile phones. Only birds would be allowed to sing.”

“One of my best moments was getting a constituent out of jail in Morocco, by which of course I mean I got him released not that I sprung him.”

“People wanted to protest, and Ukip's a conduit for that.”

“Our state ceremonies have a religious foundation. We have compulsory religious education. And the Church should be a moral guardian. We have in this country a long Christian heritage and Christian culture and we shouldn't be in too much of a hurry to give that up.”

“Happiness is best defined by its antonym, which is less 'unhappiness' than 'anxiety.' Anyone who is not oppressed by intolerable worry or grievous pain is almost certainly happy, whether rich or poor, well or ill, successful or frustrated.”

“That's the joy of retirement - you're not trying to develop a career any more.”

“We did it! Britain is no longer a member of the European Union. By 'we' I mean the 17.4 million Britons who voted Leave, Nigel Farage who fought for the cause for 25 years, Brexit Party MEPs, Tory Party members who were brave enough to desert their party in droves at the Euro-elections and, of course, the Daily Express.”

“I am a Conservative: I'm never going to be anything else.”

“Britain must govern Britain and nothing less will do.”

“Well, I spent 23 years in politics, and bits of that were fun.”

“I suspect my own journey to Brexit has closely followed that of Britain's. I had doubts, then I decided we should stay in, then I had very serious doubts as our island began to sink under a tide of regulations and our government lost control of the immigration system.”

“In my schooldays, I was Titch, Skinny and Freckles. These days, I answer to Karloff, Fatty or even Twiggy from my more sarcastic friends. If they called me Ann I should wonder what I had done to offend them.”