A biography for David Lammyhasn’t been written yet.
“Our political class obsesses over social mobility from one generation to the next - whether or not people are doing better than their parents did - but we rarely talk about those who are already in work and want to progress.”
“Dads are not a risk to be managed, but a resource to be used for the benefit of the whole family.”
“When I was growing up, I wanted to be Michael Jackson. I used to sing and dance and perform with my sister at parties for 50p.”
“I know what to say, how to say it, how to bring profile to the issues I care about and people want to listen to me.”
“The pressures of being an MP mean free time is a very rare luxury.”
“I'd always been the kind of lawyer that was attracted back to policy.”
“You can't be in business with international development and not understand basic issues of colonialism, postcolonialism and white privilege.”
“Active dads make a positive contribution: they are good for children and they are good for mothers.”
“Parenting is more than a numbers game: it's a question of whether people are equipped for the toughest job they will ever be asked to do.”
“I tend not to read fiction - I'll read one novel a year during the summer - but I do read a lot of nonfiction.”
“Stop and search is an integral cog in a racially disproportionate criminal justice system.”
“At school, I was frequently subjected to racial abuse.”
“We need specific work on race equality programmes and programmes targeted at helping those who are yet to fulfil their potential.”
“It is the responsibility of all of us to create a culture that encourages and enables fathers to spend more time with their families.”
“Fathers matter.”
“In Britain, we ought to be in a position where doctors and therapists are able to prescribe mindfulness, acupuncture, osteopathy de rigueur, and it not only be available in certain fantastic surgeries in London and Brighton.”
“I've got a very full life beyond my career.”
“A loving family matters. So do male role models.”
“Leadership is about tough choices.”
“The New Labour doctrine that skills training was the responsibility of employers was flawed. The idea that employers should take on a bigger role ignores the reality that employers have no incentive to train staff to leave. We can hardly expect Tesco to train checkout staff to become dental nurses.”