Julia Hartley-Brewer

“We must not allow Covid to turn us into a country of hypochondriacs, fearful of every minor symptom. Yes, of course if you may have a highly infectious deadly disease, you should not put your colleagues at risk, but let's not pretend every cough is going to kill us.”

“Indeed, the whole point of the NHS was to enable Britons to live until a ripe old age.”

“Some of my most vivid childhood memories involve cards: loud, energetic, often brutally competitive games of racing demon, played at high speed and in a fug of shouting and laughter; endless rummy tournaments; learning newfangled varieties of poker. It didn't matter what the game was, if it involved a pack of cards, we played it.”

“For most of us, it is impossible to comprehend why anyone living in a safe country such as Britain would want to put themselves and their families into harm's way.”

“I love my country, but I live in it for 46 weeks of the year, so is it really so terrible to admit that, when I go on holiday, I want to spend a few weeks somewhere - anywhere - else?”

“The women whose company I most enjoy are invariably loud, opinionated, funny types who can best be described as 'blokey.' But they are not, sadly, representative of my gender as a whole.”

“Call me old-fashioned, but I always thought that you went to work to get paid, and if you actually enjoyed what you did for a living, as I'm lucky to do, then that was a bonus. I didn't expect to get a street parade, complete with marching band and majorettes, just for turning up on time.”

“Most offices - and especially those in the public sector - are full of people who have very impressive job titles, look terribly busy, bashing away on their keyboards, cc-ing everyone on emails and spending hour upon hour in meetings, yet no one has any idea what it is that they actually do all day.”

“The 'HIGNFY' line-up often consists of four male comedians and one lone female TV presenter who barely says a word. Lo and behold, everyone wonders why the men are funnier than the woman! If your actual job is to make people laugh, then you'll probably be more amusing than someone who reads a teleprompter for a living.”

“As a middle-class woman living in the South-east of England, I have a better chance of living a long life than almost anyone else in the country.”

“While I have nothing but admiration and respect for anyone who wants to travel across a continent to make a new life for themselves and improve their lot, the reality is that British taxpayers don't owe the rest of the world a living.”

“There are lots of things that Jeremy Corbyn feels strongly about. He definitely doesn't like wars, nuclear weapons, or free market capitalism. He dislikes Tories, the Liberal Democrats and anyone to do with New Labour. He also doesn't like austerity, big business, private schools, student tuition fees, the bedroom tax, the monarchy and God.”

“The idea that laws don't apply to the law-makers is for despotic regimes.”

“Without Emma Thompson, 'Love Actually' would have had no soul. And without her, 'Love Actually 2' will have no heart.”

“Courage shows itself in many different ways. A soldier heading off to war, a freedom fighter giving their life, or even a nurse braving a deadly virus as she heads to work in a hospital ward every day. Sometimes, though, courage does not require the ultimate sacrifice.”

“We can offer trade deals or international aid, by all means, and we should never desert asylum seekers in their time of need, but we don't have a moral responsibility to open our doors to the five billion-odd people on this planet who live in poorer countries than ours.”

“Boris Johnson 'doesn't do detail.' It is a criticism that has dogged his political and journalistic career.”

“Maintenance grants aren't a hand-out, they're an investment in bright young people from the poorest homes to get the qualifications they need to make a better life for themselves. And that's something any Government should be proud to spend taxpayers' money on.”

“I didn't start trying for my first baby until I was 36 - partly because of my career and partly because I had not yet met a man with whom I wanted to start a family.”

“Many young Muslim women in Britain live, by Western standards, remarkably controlled lives, unable to choose what they wear, where they go, who they are friends with and even who they marry.”