Keir Starmer

“In the absence of honesty from the Conservative party leadership, it is Labour's duty to spell out the very real consequences of a no-deal Brexit. It is also our duty to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent it.”

“Ensuring we have the best possible Brexit deal will take time, effort and huge diplomatic skill.”

“The Human Rights Act is a really important constitutional document, it isn't just a villain's charter.”

“If the vote that is progressive is split then all that does is open up the path for the Brexit party and allow it to pretend it represents the majority view in this country.”

“I am well aware of different views across my own party and across parliament on pretty well all Brexit issues.”

“I wouldn't characterise myself as a bleeding heart liberal, whatever that is.”

“So if you want a really effective criminal justice strategy, you don't build bigger prisons, you invest money in young kids - and you accept that it's going to take years to work through, but it's a more effective strategy.”

“By remaining inside a customs union and the single market in a transitional phase we would be certain that goods and services could continue to flow between the E.U. and the U.K. without tariffs, customs checks or additional red tape.”

“We must ensure strong, fair and robust workplace rights remain in our country's DNA.”

“I am not a pacifist and I would back a lawful, coherent and compelling case for the use of military force by the U.K. against Isis.”

“There are potentially many offences that journalists could commit in the course of their business. It would be very unhealthy if you had a situation where a journalist felt that they needed to go to their lawyer before they pursued any lead or asked any question.”

“The government must be open enough to provide robust impact assessments of leaving the single market or the customs union, including region-by-region and sector-by-sector analysis.”

“If you go into a police station and report a burglary the first question is not: 'Are you telling the truth?' If you are the victim of a sexual offence, very often in the past that has been the first question.”

“To draft a bill of rights that simply replicates the European convention on human rights gives the game away; namely that the Human Rights Act does, in fact, offer appropriate protection to all of our citizens according to universally accepted standards.”

“Significant cuts to funding for the police, for the Crown Prosecution Service, for probation etc, have put the long-term viability of our criminal justice system in doubt.”

“As we exit the E.U., there must be a new approach to immigration that has the consent of the British people and is managed in their interests.”

“We need to remind ourselves that Europe will be our biggest trading partner for the next several decades and probably beyond, so getting the deal with Europe right should be our primary focus.”

“I don't subscribe to the view that people who are better off don't want to live in a more equal society.”

“My background is not typical of a lawyer or a DPP. My dad was a toolmaker before he retired, so he worked in a factory all his life.”

“As we leave the E.U., freedom of movement falls away, because it's an E.U. rule... What we then have to say is, 'What then is on the blank piece of paper that is an immigration policy?'”