Despite protestations to the contrary, it seems that former Labour MP Alistair Darling is to maintain a presence in Westminster following his elevation to the Lords in the Dissolution Honours list just published.
The former Edinburgh South West MP had announced his retirement from politics prior to the 2015 General Election. His seat was snapped up by Joanna Cherry QC on behalf of the SNP.
Darling was leader of the Better Together campaign during the Scottish Referendum campaign, Chancellor of the Exchequer for the fateful three year period between 2007 and 2010 when the global meltdown took place.
He first became an MP in 1987, and held a variety of posts including Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Secretary of State for Scotland. He also held the Transport and Trade and Industry portfolios.
His grandfather was the retailer in Princes Street, owner of the great women’s outfitters, Darlings. Alistair Darling is an old boy of Loretto School in Musselburgh, and he achieved LLB at Aberdeen University.
He is a former councillor with Lothian Regional Council, and has largely been a career politician with the exception of his apprenticeship to become a solicitor and then admission as an advocate at the Scottish Bar. He resigned from the Faculty of Advocates in 2010 when it was widely reported his financial affairs were being investigated.
In 2009 the Daily Telegraph reported that Darling had ‘flipped’ his house four times in expenses claims. LibDem calls for his resignation fell on deaf ears.
Sir Malcolm Bruce who was the former MP for Gordon and formerly Depute Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Rt Hon Sir Menzies Campbell and Michelle Mone OBE have also been given peerages. Former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander who lost his seat for Inverness, Nairn Badenoch and Strathspey at the General Election has been knighted. His Wikipedia page has already been changed when we checked it at 1.30pm!
It is a long list of peerages which is published today, when the Government was also issuing news about net migration figures which have hit a record high, thus attracting media comment that this was a good day to bury bad news.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
