Taxes have gone up, spending has gone up, waste of government money has vastly increased, and I think people will say he frittered away a very strong economic inheritance.

I'm a Conservative who believes in lower taxes. They lead to a more enterprising economy. But I'm not somebody who believes you can fund lower taxes by borrowing more money.

If we don't get a grip on government spending, there will be no growth.

If Exxon explores more, there are taxes and money for the government,

I came into politics partly because I want to be able to reduce taxes so that individuals have more of their money to spend, so that businesses have more of their money to create jobs, but I believe that lower taxes are sustainable when you get the public finances in order, so I will only make promises I can keep on taxation.

During this campaign the chancellor and the prime minister will stand up and say it [the government] hasn't increased taxes, and that's just not true for business.