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The number one priority now is reducing the deficit that they [Labour] left us - the biggest deficit since the Second World War.

Iain Duncan Smith

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Iain Duncan Smith
Age: 70
Born: 1954
Born: January 1
British Politician
Politician
Edinburgh
Scotland
George Iain Duncan Smith
George Ian Duncan Smith
Sir Iain Duncan Smith
Sir George Iain Duncan Smith
Ian Duncan Smith
Rt. Hon. George Iain Duncan Smith
Second
Numbers
Reducing
Since
Priority
War
Deficit
Left
Labour
World
Priorities
Biggest
Number

More quotes by Iain Duncan Smith

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There are few more powerful tools for promoting stability than the institution of marriage.
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We do a disservice to society if we ignore the evidence which shows that stable families tend to be associated with better outcomes for children.
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With the right support, a child growing up in a dysfunctional household, who was destined for a lifetime on benefits could be put on an entirely different track - one which sees them move into fulfilling and sustainable work. In doing so, they will pull themselves out of poverty.
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We do not celebrate people who have made success out of serious hard work.
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Well obviously the economy is critical to everything we do and we need to get the economy back in shape, the deficit down, the debt paid off, so that the economy can grow again and grow properly.
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You cannot stop what the public want. The public want two strong women in the final round and then a woman prime minister and I'm absolutely with that.
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That thing, 'You must stay together for the kids,' is out of fashion but is right. It's not arguing parents that children don't like, it is having one parent.
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I think almost every political leader is always told that the next speech they make is the most crucial one.
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We do need to have a little bit more protection and sensibility around pensioners. They are remarkable. They gave so much. We need to make sure we do our best by them.
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I do not believe the picture that some people paint of Scottish towns dependent on welfare. Every time I come here, I meet people who are determined to get into work. Who, with the right help are desperate to get off benefits, support their family and set an example for their children.
Iain Duncan Smith
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When families are strong and stable, so are children - showing higher levels of wellbeing and more positive outcomes. But when things go wrong - either through family breakdown or a damaged parental relationship - the impact on a child's later life can be devastating.
Iain Duncan Smith
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After years of piecemeal reform the current welfare system is complex and unfair.
Iain Duncan Smith
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Gang members have invariably grown up in broken, chaotic homes, often experiencing domestic violence they have truanted from school and many have been formally excluded and they live in neighbourhoods where worklessness, addiction and crime are rife.
Iain Duncan Smith
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If you knowingly and willingly embark on criminal behaviour, the consequences of that should be... that you lose some of your benefits under the current system
Iain Duncan Smith
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For families across the UK who are income-poor, but more than that, whose lives are blighted by worklessness, educational failure, family breakdown, problem debt and poor health, as well as other problems, giving them an extra pound - say through increased benefits - will not address the reason they find themselves in difficulty in the first place.
Iain Duncan Smith
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All too often, government's response to social breakdown has been a classic case of 'patching' - a case of handing money out, containing problems and limiting the damage but, in doing so, supporting - even reinforcing - dysfunctional behaviour.
Iain Duncan Smith
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Government cannot do it all. As we work hard to break welfare dependency and get young people ready for the labour market, we need businesses to give them a chance and not just fall back on labour from abroad.
Iain Duncan Smith
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A system that was originally designed to support the poorest in society is now trapping them in the very condition it was supposed to alleviate.
Iain Duncan Smith
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I think that the status that you have in life should be reflected in official documents. If you are married, fine, if you are living with someone, fine, if you are single, fine. We don't want to tell people how to live their lives.
Iain Duncan Smith
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Can there not be a limit to the fact that really you need to cut your cloth in accordance with what capabilities and finances you have?
Iain Duncan Smith