They should go back home and re-create their countries which we have freed from tyranny, whether it is Kosovo or now Afghanistan. I have no sympathy whatsoever with young men in their twenties who do not.

The Home Office culture was one of being just above the problem, of hovering just out of reach of knowing what was going on on the ground, whether it was crime or immigration.

Being home secretary involves having to face some of the worst of human behaviour and challenges of modern society.

At school, I was brought up on revolting food - sausages, sausages and Spam - but at home, I had the most wonderful sponge puddings, which I don't indulge in very often now.

Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling, in hosting the G20 summit and in the budget, must display the same boldness in tackling the instability at home that they do in promoting a worldwide answer to the global meltdown.

the state has a role in helping people through rapid economic change. But not as a permanent safety net.