Lucy Powell

They have to take some responsibility for creating … a system that has left over a million young people now not in education, training or employment. The current approach has left too many behind.

What I’m not going to oversee is some kind of lower ambition for some kids. It’s about ambition for everybody.

I absolutely don’t want schools to dumb down. My kids might say I’m a tiger mum. You know, I’m a tiger mum for all our kids – every single child that’s in our education system achieving excellence, achieving what they can do.

This Government is determined to help thousands more young people gain the skills, experience and confidence they need to build successful careers.

Too many young people face unnecessary barriers to apprenticeships, college places and training.

And, you know, I want to make sure that we look at this so that it’s fair for students.

I can’t make any promises, but, you know, it needs looking at.

So, look, the Government has committed to a review of that. It is … very much at the top of my in-tray as the secretary of state.

And I’m not going to sort of change my opinion on that just because I’m now the secretary of state.

I think it’s not just about the threshold of when people start to pay it back, but also the interest rate, which is … RPI plus 3%, which is, you know, I think I’ve called it in the past egregious.

We don’t want fewer people going to university.

Working together, we will ensure the party continues to lead the way in campaigning, with the strongest ground operation in British politics as we prepare for the next general election.

Yes. I can't make any promises, but it needs looking at.

The government has committed to a review of that, it's very much at the top of my in-tray as the secretary of state, and I want to make sure we look at this so it's fair for students.

I think I've called it in the past egregious and I'm not going to change my opinion on that just because I'm now the secretary of state.

It's not created competition. What you've seen is bills going up and up and up over years and years and years.

He [Burnham] really understands the bigger, bolder measures that are needed to live up to the manifesto promises.

Our manifesto did talk about the redistribution of power, it did talk about the rewiring of our country, it did talk about taking on some of those vested interests.

It's actually about the attention and the focus, so that the whole of government machinery can work in service of the agenda and the vision that the Labour government is setting out under Andy Burnham

The money saved by scrapping the scheme was not an insignificant amount and would be reprioritised and redistributed in different ways

The whole of government machinery can work in service of the agenda and the vision that the Labour government is setting out under Andy Burnham

The privatisation of water hasn't worked. It's not created competition. What you've seen is bills going up and up and up over years and years and years. Investment not being made... and then now these companies are in real distress.

We need a Labour government of all the talents, representing our broad church movement, all parts of the UK and that looks like our diverse country.

I do – how is something we’ll all need to help with, and be part of.

It created more of a culture of not feeling that you could speak out on things for fear of giving you a black mark against your name.