Helle Thorning-Schmidt

“This is not an election where we hand out gifts. It is an election where we ask everyone to contribute more.”

“Of course we have to address the deficit if we win.”

“I know too much about British politics to comment on British politics.”

“Without growth we can't pay down our debt, and without growth there's no money for welfare.”

“So yes, European decision making is not pretty. But it does work.”

“People want to make sacrifices but they don't want to be sacrificed.”

“We are not jumping on the austerity bandwagon. A healthy economy is by far the most important thing for Social Democrats.”

“I really appreciate the British part of my family.”

“For young girls, whom I meet a lot when I travel around the country, it will be a big thing. It will really show them that there's no post in Denmark that a girl can't aspire to.”

“But what sets Europe apart is we insist on a social model that consists of solidarity, equal opportunity and a certain amount of redistribution.”

“Denmark needs change, Denmark needs to move on and Denmark needs my leadership.”

“We have the opportunity to change Denmark - that opportunity must be seized.”

“We can say farewell to 10 years of bourgeois rule... now we have the opportunity to change Denmark.”

“I feel like giving myself a pat on the back. We can create history tonight. We can bid goodbye to 10 years of (Liberal-Conservative) government which has ground to a halt, and get a new government and a new majority in Denmark.”

“We did it. Make no mistake: We have written history. Today there's a change of guards in Denmark.”

“I'm taking care of the children, doing a bit of cooking and trying to do a bit of DIY around the house. But that's not going too well.”