Pat McFadden: “The welfare system should be a springboard to opportunity, not a barrier to it.”

We have an obligation to put good support in place.

Every meeting I have is 'who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others'. They're asking the wrong questions.

I think we’re all bearing in mind what’s recently happened to Ann Widdecombe, the most appalling murder of a former politician, and I think that gives a duty on all politicians to be careful about what they post, what they share.

I don’t think you can or should do welfare reform just by saying ‘here’s a sum of money we’ve got to save’, and then you graft on the policy afterwards.