William Hague quotes

William Hague is a British Conservative politician, writer, and former Foreign Secretary. A prominent figure in UK politics, he also served as the Leader of the Conservative Party. He is recognized for his influential speeches, leadership skills, and contributions to both domestic and international affairs. Here are 99 of his quotes:

I thank the Prime Minister for his remarks about me. Debating with him at the Dispatch Box has been exciting, fascinating, fun, an enormous challenge and, from my point of view, wholly unproductive in every sense. I am told that in my time at the Dispatch Box I have asked the Prime Minister 1,118 direct questions, but no one has counted the direct answers-it may not take long. (William Hague)
Governments that block the aspirations of their people, that steal or are corrupt, that oppress and torture or that deny freedom of expression and human rights should bear in mind that they will find it increasingly hard to escape the judgement of their own people, or where warranted, the reach of international law. View quote
William Hague
Inspiring scenes of people taking the future of their countries into their own hands will ignite greater demands for good governance and political reform elsewhere in the world, including in Asia and in Africa. View quote
William Hague
The EU should be concentrated on adapting to globalisation and global competitiveness, not building more powerful centralised institutions in Brussels. View quote
William Hague
We have to face the reality of climate change. It is arguably the biggest threat we are facing today. View quote
William Hague
Nothing is more absurd than a Prime Minister who has committed us in principle to joining the Euro saying last week that he was against it. He talks about his five tests; we know what they are: "Does Peter want it? Will Gordon let me? Will the French like it? Will Robin notice? Can I get away with it? View quote
William Hague
To Harriet Harman. "Before turning to domestic issues, I was going to be nice to the right hon. and learned Lady. She has had a difficult week. She had to explain yesterday that she dresses in accordance with wherever she is going: she wears a helmet on a building site, she wears Indian clothes in the parts of her constituency with a large representation of Indian people, so when she goes to a Cabinet meeting, she presumably dresses as a clown. As I said, I was going to be nice to her before her previous response." View quote
William Hague
For the first time in history at Question Time, all three parties are represented by a stand-in for the real leader. View quote
William Hague
The electorate voted to leave the EU, and therefore we leave. What is more, the number of people who voted to do so was higher than the number of votes cast for any government in our history. To me and many of my former colleagues in government who preferred to remain, the argument was over. View quote
William Hague
We are determined to reach a diplomatic settlement to the Iran nuclear crisis. View quote
William Hague
It is about... making a success of membership of the EU but also with democratic consent for that in its modern form and the best form that we can bring about. (William Hague)
We also need to see how changes in the eurozone are affecting the EU and how that affects this country and the relationship of the countries together. But when we have done that there is a strong case for fresh consent in this country and the people of this country having their say. View quote
William Hague
It remains the case that the single biggest terrorist threat to this country remains al-Qaeda, or people inspired by al-Qaeda, but what has happened is a reminder that it is not the only source of violent extremist or terrorist attack. View quote
William Hague
If you are less influential in crafting the overall approach of the EU you end up with less influence in the rest of the world. View quote
William Hague
I described the euro as a burning building with no exits and so it has proved for some of the countries in it. View quote
William Hague
I was the driver's mate, delivering the bottles and beer around South Yorkshire. We used to have a pint at every stop – well the driver's mate did, not the driver, thankfully – and we used to have about 10 stops in a day. You worked so hard you didn't feel you'd drunk 10 pints by four o'clock, you used to sweat so much. But then you had to lift all the empties off the lorry. It's probably horrifying but we used to do that then go home for tea and then go out in the evening to the pub. View quote
William Hague
I can tell them that when he goes off to a major political conference of a centre-right party and simultaneously refers to himself as a socialist, he is on manoeuvres. View quote
William Hague
To the hard-working people who set a little bit aside each month, to provide for their children, or to fund their own retirement, I say: you should be rewarded not punished. View quote
William Hague
I don't think my principles change. I think the way in which you apply those principles to modern society changes. View quote
William Hague
For the security of the UK, it matters a lot for Somalia to become a more stable place. View quote
William Hague
At a time of such hope and optimism in the Middle East, we cannot let the Libyan government violate every principle of international law and human rights with impunity. (William Hague)
Whatever happens in Mogadishu, in Somalia, will happen in Great Britain. We have interlocking interests. View quote
William Hague
I believe we should reframe our response to climate change as an imperative for growth rather than merely being a way of being green or meeting environmental commitments. View quote
William Hague
You can see over time whether people are prepared to differ or not. View quote
William Hague
Today further EU targeted sanctions on Syria come into force. The message is clear and unambiguous: those responsible for the repression will be singled out and held accountable. View quote
William Hague