Team GBs success at the Beijing Olympics can, in part, be said to have been made in Manchester. For example, all the cycling medal winners trained at Manchesters velodrome, the National Cycling Centre. – Lucy Powell
The Labour party has done more than any other to address gender inequalities, through legislation and other means, and to increase womens representation in politics, which has led to recent increases in the number of female politicians. – Lucy Powell
For sure, the Obamania thats fast taking hold reflects an incredible thirst for change in global politics and, dare I say, a wave of optimism that things can be different. – Lucy Powell
I have run a general election campaign pregnant and ran Ed Milibands leadership campaign commuting to London with a new baby so I already have my system set up. – Lucy Powell
As a relatively young woman – Im 33 – I hope to one day have a family and already have commitments. If and when Im elected as an MP, I would face a choice: take my family with me to London each week or be apart for four, maybe five, nights a week. – Lucy Powell
Its become unfashionable to celebrate political achievement, and Labour achievement even less so. And its positively uncouth to be proud of something that this Labour government is doing. So, slam me for saying so, but Im really proud of the NHS. – Lucy Powell
We in the Labour party know better than most that opposition is the easy part. Whats more difficult is governing and setting out an agenda for government. – Lucy Powell
Theres a loss of faith in the banking system that for so long has been the backbone of prosperity and growth. – Lucy Powell
In the industrial revolution Britain led the world in advances that enabled mass production: trade exchanges, transportation, factory technology and new skills needed for the new industrialised world. – Lucy Powell
Funding for sports (and the arts) are often the first things facing the chop in difficult times. – Lucy Powell
At its most basic the democratic contract is a simple one: the right to vote comes with a responsibility to society, through tax payments and citizenship. – Lucy Powell
In politics, the number of women in the cabinet has fallen and, if current poll trends continue and Labour loses a number of marginal seats, the number of female MPs is likely to drop significantly. – Lucy Powell
We need to dig deep and give people a reason to be optimistic just as Obama is doing in America. Because in the same way that outcome of the U.S. elections will change the course of events there and around the world, so too do politics here in Britain. – Lucy Powell
Being out and about talking to residents and representing their views is, in my view, as important to politics as the grandstanding that takes place in Westminster. – Lucy Powell
For us political activists and candidates, the morning after any election is a mix of emotions – the personal and the immediate, the culmination of your own recent campaigning efforts and the fortunes of your party and the success or otherwise of what you stand for and believe in. – Lucy Powell
I just hope that the democratic will of the Zimbabwean people prevails. If it does we must move quickly to help restore stability and prosperity. – Lucy Powell
Today the demands are for even higher standards in the quality of care, for greater flexibility and convenience in treatment times, and for more prevention through screening and health checks. – Lucy Powell
In Scotland, the indication is that for the Westminster elections at least, Labour voters are satisfied with their government. – Lucy Powell
The choice between a Labour government and a Tory one is sharpening minds. – Lucy Powell
As the prospect of a Tory government gets nearer, many traditional Labour voters – some who switched away in recent times and many who stayed at home – seem more determined to prevent that happening. – Lucy Powell