Lucy Powell

“As a relatively young woman - I'm 33 - I hope to one day have a family and already have commitments. If and when I'm elected as an MP, I would face a choice: take my family with me to London each week or be apart for four, maybe five, nights a week.”

“Surely, the best and most effective measure is to get the economy moving and shorten the period of recession or slowdown. That's the rationale for Gordon Brown's 'fiscal stimulus' and it sounds like a good one to me.”

“It's become unfashionable to celebrate political achievement, and Labour achievement even less so. And it's positively uncouth to be proud of something that this Labour government is doing. So, slam me for saying so, but I'm really proud of the NHS.”

“I have run a general election campaign pregnant and ran Ed Miliband's leadership campaign commuting to London with a new baby so I already have my system set up.”

“Funding for sports (and the arts) are often the first things facing the chop in difficult times.”

“A global deal will only be possible if Britain plays its part, leading the way with other developed countries.”

“People rightly want our political leaders - on all sides - to concentrate on minimising the damage to jobs, living standards and our savings from the banking crisis.”

“Being out and about talking to residents and representing their views is, in my view, as important to politics as the grandstanding that takes place in Westminster.”

“I will take a short time out from being in Parliament when the baby is born but I'll still be doing my constituency work - just with another baby in tow.”

“I wish that Iraq had not happened - and that we had not lost touch with so many of our natural supporters. But this should have provided an opportunity for the Liberal Democrats as a party. Yet their protest gains are now diminishing.”

“The Labour party has done more than any other to address gender inequalities, through legislation and other means, and to increase women's representation in politics, which has led to recent increases in the number of female politicians.”

“For sure, the 'Obamania' that's fast taking hold reflects an incredible thirst for change in global politics and, dare I say, a wave of optimism that things can be different.”

“At its most basic the democratic contract is a simple one: the right to vote comes with a responsibility to society, through tax payments and citizenship.”

“There's a loss of faith in the banking system that for so long has been the backbone of prosperity and growth.”

“The cost of motoring is a massive issue at the moment, there's no question. The price of petrol goes up every time you go to the petrol station.”

“The choice between a Labour government and a Tory one is sharpening minds.”

“The Tories and the Lib Dems talk about social mobility, but, short of winning the lottery, the only way to guarantee young people from all backgrounds the opportunity to do better and to raise aspirations is through education.”

“I'm honoured to have been selected to be the Labour candidate for Manchester Central.”

“Team GB's success at the Beijing Olympics can, in part, be said to have been made in Manchester. For example, all the cycling medal winners trained at Manchester's velodrome, the National Cycling Centre.”

“The lack of available credit and loans is having a severe impact on small businesses in particular, but also their suppliers and the bigger companies too.”