Alistair Darling hailed as ‘man of great integrity’ at memorial service
The former chancellor died aged 70 last month.
Politicians from across the spectrum came together to remember the life of former chancellor Alistair Darling, at a service which contained both personal and political tributes.
Former Labour prime ministers Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown both attended the packed memorial service in Edinburgh, along with ex-Conservative chancellor George Osborne and Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf.
Mourners at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral also included Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, and some of those who served in government with Mr Darling, including Lord Mandelson and Lord Robertson.
The service took place after a private cremation on Monday following Mr Darling’s death aged 70 on November 30 from cancer.
He was a Labour MP in Edinburgh between 1987 and 2015, and was one of only three politicians to serve continuously in government between 1997 and 2010 – serving under both Sir Tony and Mr Brown.
His son Calum recalled at the service how at “the very peak of the financial crisis, he broke out of Downing Street” to take him to a Leonard Cohen concert
“It was a welcome break at a difficult time and it was time well spent,” he added.
He also recalled how his mother Maggie hired a “small tractor” for his father for his 60th birthday, so he could spend the day on a friend’s farm “digging small holes and then filling them in again”.
Mr Darling’s daughter Anna said she was “one of only three people to whom he showed physical affection”.
She told the congregation: “We held hands, he would squeeze me tightly and kiss me on the head.
“Rest assured we held his hand till the very end.”
She continued: “My dad had many important jobs. But the two he took most seriously were being husband to our mum and being our dad.
“We will love and miss him forever.”
Friend and former Labour minister Brian Wilson described Mr Darling as a “straightforward good guy who cared enough to make a difference”.
Mr Wilson added: “Suffice to say, nobody could have done it more effectively, or in the end more successfully.”
Ms Reeves described Mr Darling as her “good friend” and “wise mentor”.
Adding he was a “man of great integrity”, she said it was a “privilege” to speak at Tuesday’s memorial service.
She said he had acted “quickly and boldly” in the financial crisis, in ways which were “unimaginable beforehand” by recapitalising and nationalising banks and introducing quantitative easing.
“It was in that situation that the values that defined Alistair as a man and as a leader came to the fore,” Ms Reeves added.
“A model of calm, careful deliberation and strong instincts, when all around him was so uncertain.
“And grateful too that when called upon, Alistair returned to the political front line in 2014, forcefully, painstakingly making the economic case for the future of the United Kingdom and preserving the union.
“If Labour has the privilege to form the next government, if I have the privilege of being the next chancellor of the Exchequer, I hope I will not face the challenges that Alistair did.
“But if I do, I hope I would respond with the clarity, the courage and the calm that he did.”
Reverend Canon Marion Chatterley told the congregation Mr Darling “will be deeply missed, but he will never be forgotten”.
She described the former chancellor as a “man who loved his family first and foremost, loved his country, and dedicated his life to public service”.
