Quotes from Andrea Leadsom

My first task is to show how great we are as a nation - let's banish the pessimists.

I envisage there being absolutely no regulation whatsoever - no minimum wage, no maternity or paternity rights, no unfair dismissal rights, no pension rights - for the smallest companies that are trying to get off the ground, in order to give them a chance.

When in doubt, cook a Sunday roast, get the family around you, and you'll feel fine afterwards.

By cutting the red tape that comes out of Brussels, we will free our farmers to grow more, sell more, and export more great British food whilst upholding our high standards for plant and animal health and welfare.

I think it is right that government should have passed legislation that requires that relationships and sex education is taught in schools, but at the same time, I also agree that it is right that parents should be able to choose the moment at which their children become exposed to that information.

Prosperity should be our goal, not austerity.

Too few people in my old field of financial services were ever brought to book for their part in the 2008 crash.

The E.U. without Britain is like fish without chips.

I wholeheartedly believe that same-sex couples have as valid a relationship with their partner as do heterosexuals. I also believe that in the eyes of the state, we all deserve to be treated equally.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? This is a question I'm often asked as a politician. It tends to be closely followed by a dozen other questions about what I'll do in 'x' scenario or whether I'll resign if 'y' happens.

I am a big fan of seeing more women in public life.

Over the centuries, the country has looked on as Parliament has faced historic decisions. Even in the most challenging of times, we have pulled together and put our duty above all else.

If the government has any courage, it will punish those at the top of failed banks. Accountability is critical in every area of human endeavour - there has to be a penalty for failure; otherwise, it's only a matter of time before the economic pain our banks have caused to so many innocent businesses and homeowners is forgotten.

Individual bankers are rightly being investigated by the police. I and all colleagues in the chamber hope that if criminality is proven, they will go to jail and bear the same brunt of punishment as any other criminal.

Twenty-seven member states cannot even organise a takeaway curry, let alone what they are going to do on free trade deals with the rest of the world.

What I'm suggesting is making an offer to the E.U. for things that were already agreed in the withdrawal agreement that will enable us to leave with a managed exit.

Theresa May... is ideally placed to implement Brexit on the best possible terms for the British people, and she has promised she will do so.

Like so many other people in the U.K., I took the chance offered to us in a single question: Should we leave the European Union or remain within it? Following a great deal of thought and thorough analysis, the answer I arrived at was, 'Yes, we should leave the E.U.'

Banks were already seen as greedy and arrogant. They have now reached the depths of humiliation in the wake of the LIBOR manipulation, PPI mis-selling, and bank swaps mis-selling.

Decarbonising our energy system is not some abstract regulatory requirement. It is an essential responsibility that we hold towards our children and grandchildren as the only way to effectively counter the threat of climate change.

The E.U. referendum didn't cause divisions, but it certainly did reveal them. Many people are shocked at the result, but they really shouldn't be. What I would like to say to them is, please, don't be afraid.

The reason I say 'never say never' is because I do not think that there should be another independence referendum in Scotland - I do not think it's in their interest - but on the other hand, I am a big believer in devolution.

What I think we have to be doing is promote the strength of the U.K. working together far stronger, far more than we have done, and I have a number of policy areas that I would use to try and make that happen.

Like so many of my generation and those younger, I have spent most of my life in the E.U., and my instincts were naturally for reform from within.