We look around at our national politicians, we do not see national politicians who are without fault. And, actually, we see quite a lot who get very far - let's take Boris Johnson- with considerable. White. Privilege. Failure after failure after failure rewarded.

David Lammy

A good life depends on the strength of our relationships with family, friends, neighbours, colleagues and strangers.

David Lammy

A good society is characterised not just by liberty but by mutual respect and responsibility. When this breaks down it takes a lot more than police officers to put things right.

David Lammy

Ultimately, we must either abandon our reliance on stop and search or abandon any hope for a criminal justice system grounded in equality, impartiality and fairness.

David Lammy

We will not achieve gender equality in the workplace until we fix our system of parental leave.

David Lammy

Like many black men growing up in London, I have been stopped and searched by several policemen. I was 12 years old when I was first groped and frisked by police for walking down the road. It terrified me so much I wet myself.

David Lammy

We cannot have different policing for different communities. It is inherently unfair.

David Lammy

Family policy is not a zero-sum game: any gain for dads need not come at the expense of mums.

David Lammy

Parents' evenings were a big event in our social calendar and school reports were taken very seriously; 'C' was not a grade my mother recognised. Her favourite shop was WH Smith, where every week there would be a new book or pen or calculator to buy. But most importantly, she was my best friend.

David Lammy

People who have no stake in society are the least likely to have respect for it.

David Lammy

From closing the digital divide to after-school activities and eating well, we cannot afford to ignore the link between deprivation and underachievement.

David Lammy

Cities can be paradoxical places. In the mornings they buzz with commuters, in the evenings they come alive with diners and partygoers, at weekends the streets fill with shoppers and market traders. But amidst the hustle and bustle, even the greatest city can be a lonely place.

David Lammy

To tackle the scourge of young unemployment we need to be ambitious.

David Lammy

I spend much of my time in a suit and tie with my top button done up and my sensible shoes neatly polished. When it comes to work, my appearance is about communicating professionalism and confidence.

David Lammy

When I was a young child and before he had left us for the U.S., my father would give me Mark Twain novels. In the characters, the weather and the context, my father must have seen many parallels to his own youth in the Caribbean in the 1930s and 40s.

David Lammy

Music, dance, literature and the visual arts open up a rich and intensely rewarding world. It is a world that should not be the preserve of the few.

David Lammy

Parenting is more than a numbers game: it's a question of whether people are equipped for the toughest job they will ever be asked to do.

David Lammy

My wife does all the driving.

David Lammy

The New Labour doctrine that skills training was the responsibility of employers was flawed. The idea that employers should take on a bigger role ignores the reality that employers have no incentive to train staff to leave. We can hardly expect Tesco to train checkout staff to become dental nurses.

David Lammy

Many black youths are defying stereotypes, achieving good academic results, finding employment and contributing to their communities. But helping those who fall behind is not an exercise in political correctness, it is a precisely what a compassionate - and sensible - state should concern itself with.

David Lammy

The ingrained image of black men being searched by the police feeds into the collective illusion that black men everywhere need to be policed more than others.

David Lammy