The death of former Edinburgh South West MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, has been announced on Thursday.
The Labour MP was the great-nephew of the former Lord Provost of Edinburgh Sir William Darling. First elected to the Lothian Regional Council in 1982, he had by then already been called to the Scottish bar as an advocate.
From 2012 Lord Darling led the Better Together campaign ahead of the Scottish Independence referendum. Famously he was Chancellor when the UK Government had to bail out the Royal Bank of Scotland, saying that the country was hours away from a breakdown of law and order if he had not done so.
Ian Murray MP for Edinburgh South said: “I have known Alistair for many years, and he was the most decent, hard working and principled man you could ever meet.
“He served our home city of Edinburgh as a councillor and MP diligently over decades, and served our country as Chancellor during the most urgent economic crisis in our lifetimes.
“He led Treasury with the same passion, principle and hard work that he applied to everything in his remarkable life.
“Most of all Alistair was my friend and a lovely person to be around with his brilliant humour and warm hospitality.
“Alistair will be missed enormously and my thoughts just now are with his wife Maggie and his entire family.”
Council Leader Cammy Day said: “I was deeply. saddened to hear of the passing of Alistair Darling today, one of the most important Chancellors in the history of our country, and a dedicated, committed and principled public servant to his core.
“He represented Edinburgh diligently for well over 30 years as a Councillor and MP and his loss will be felt across the city and in his local community of Morningside.
“I was lucky enough to know Alistair for many years and he was a constant source of sage advice, good humour and humility.
“My thoughts and condolences are with his wife Maggie and his family at this incredibly difficult time.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “I am heartbroken at the news of the death of Alistair Darling and my thoughts are with his wife – Maggie, his two children and all those who knew and loved him.
“Alistair was a giant of the Labour movement, a titanic force for good and a man I was proud to consider a friend and a mentor.
“From his time as Secretary of State for Scotland to being the Chancellor that led the UK through the financial crisis, Alistair Darling was dedicated to public service and improving the lives of those less fortunate.
“At a time of division for Scotland, Alistair led the Better Together campaign with kindness, intelligence and good humour – it was a job he did not want to do, but he believed he was doing a service for Scotland.
“Alistair’s life was one spent in the service of the people of Scotland and the UK – the Labour family and our country will sorely mourn his passing.”
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said: “The passing of Alistair Darling is a significant loss which will be felt by all those who were lucky enough to have encountered him during what really was a lifetime of public service.
“His career was influential not just on Scottish and UK politics, but also on the global stage. As Chancellor, he took on a huge responsibility at a time of extraordinary crisis, and he earned respect which went far beyond his colleagues in the Labour Party.
“Our thoughts are most especially with his family, friends and colleagues as they come to terms with their loss.”
The Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge said: “Alastair Darling’s life was one marked by a deep devotion to public service, proudly representing our city for well over 30 years on the local, national and international stage. From 1982-1987 he served on the then Lothian Regional Council before going on to represent Edinburgh as an MP until 2015. Following his illustrious political career, he continued to play an active part in city life and remained a respected member of his local community in Morningside.
“From the council chamber to the highest offices in the land as Chancellor of the Exchequer, alongside many other Ministerial appointments, he typified calm professionalism and pride in serving his constituents and the country.
“My thoughts and condolences are with his wife Margaret and their children, alongside his many friends and former colleagues.”
Former Rt Hon Lord Provost Lesley Hinds said: “I was saddened to hear of the death of Alistair. My heart goes out to Maggie and his family.
“I first met Alistair when I was a young delegate to the former Edinburgh North Constituency Labour Party, where Alistair was secretary. At that time he was quite a firebrand, dark-haired and bearded!
“Alistair always seemed destined for greater things and it was no surprise when he was elected as MP, first for Edinburgh Central and then for Edinburgh South West. Serving Edinburgh well for 28 years.
“One of the great Chancellors and during the global financial crisis he was a steadying hand.
“Alistair will be sadly missed by us all in the Labour Party and by everyone who knew him.”
Former councillor, MP and advocate, Mark Lazarowicz said: “The death of Alistair Darling is a great shock and incredibly sad. His contribution to the UK, Scotland, and his own city of Edinburgh was immense over many decades. I count myself privileged to have been able to work with him. My deepest condolences to Maggie and the family.”
TSSA today expressed sadness at the death of the former Transport Secretary, Chancellor of the Exchequer and long-time Labour party front-bencher Alistair Darling.
Whilst Transport Secretary Alistair Darling oversaw the creation of Network Rail, the public body which replaced Railtrack after it collapsed, and gave support to the Crossrail scheme, now the Elizabeth line.
TSSA General Secretary, Maryam Eslamdoust, said, “Alistair’s death is sad and unexpected. His contributions to public life, and especially to the railways, will be long remembered.
“Our thoughts are with his wife, his children and his family today.”
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