Alistair Darling is a long-time ally of Gordon Brown
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As he prepares to deliver the final pre-Budget report before the next election, Alistair Darling is under pressure. In fact, the chancellor has known little else since taking over at the Treasury from Gordon Brown. He has had to deal with the near collapse of the UK banking sector and a long-lasting recession, while having to manage plans for cuts in public spending while attempting to keep the electorate on-side. But, quiet of voice and calm in manner, the 56-year-old Edinburgh lawyer is not one to make a fuss. Which is just as well, with the budget deficit expected to rise to £175bn.
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DARLING'S CAREER
1987: Enters Parliament
1988-92: Opposition home affairs spokesman
1992-98: Labour City spokesman
1996-97: Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury
1997-98: Chief secretary to the Treasury
1998-2002: Work and pensions Secretary
2002-2006: Transport secretary
2006-2007: Trade and industry secretary
2007-present: Chancellor
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The MP for Edinburgh South West MP has the air of a mild-mannered Scottish lawyer, but his political origins are far more lively. After attending the exclusive Loretto public school, he went to university in Aberdeen, where he became a student activist, pushing for far-left policies. The young idealist reportedly distributed "Marxist" leaflets at railway stations. He calmed down somewhat as he embarked on a career as an advocate and served a short stint as a councillor. In 1987 Mr Darling was elected to Parliament and, leaving his left-wing roots behind, became a committed Labour moderniser and close ally of Gordon Brown. Angry pensioners In fact, his image went from firebrand to troubleshooter. After the party's 1997 election victory, Mr Darling served as chief secretary to the Treasury and then replaced Harriet Harman as social security secretary, following an almighty bust-up with her colleague Frank Field over policy. He managed to bring an air of comparative calm to the situation, making a name for himself as a "safe pair of hands". Colleagues remarked upon his lawyerly ability to master even complex briefs in quick time.
Mr Darling was a radical in his youth
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Mr Darling was parachuted into another "trouble" job in 2002, when Stephen Byers resigned as transport secretary amid the collapse of Railtrack. Once again, he calmed the political row, although Railtrack's shareholders continue to blame the government for their huge financial losses. Later, Mr Darling moved government policy towards an acceptance of road pricing, hated by many drivers. He is also remembered for pushing for the building of Crossrail, the multi-billion pound project linking east and west London. In 2006, he moved to the Department of Trade and Industry, where he took a lead in suggesting that Britain's future energy needs may have to be met partly by a return to nuclear power, again a highly controversial stance. Speaking out None of this compares to the last couple of years, though. When his long-time political ally moved from 11 to 10 Downing Street in June 2007, Mr Darling, the quiet man of the cabinet, replaced him as chancellor. Many commentators thought he would be a "yes" man, cowering in the shadow of his powerful boss. But Mr Darling has gradually appeared to grow into the job, even if his boss appeared to be taking the main hands-on role during the worst of the credit crunch and banking crisis. For many the key moment came earlier this year when he stood firm when Mr Brown reportedly tried to remove him and promote his closest ally, Schools Secretary Ed Balls, to chancellor. He won that battle, and now his pre-Budget report is seen as a key moment not just for Gordon Brown and the Labour Party's election chances, but also the UK's financial future. It is all a long way from his days known as a low-key minister who enjoyed spending time at a remote croft on the Outer Hebrides.
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