Tributes to Alistair Darling at memorial service

Lord Darling died last month at the age of 70 following a stay in hospital where he was being treated for cancer.

In her eulogy, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves paid tribute to her "wise mentor."

She told the congregation that the 2008 financial crisis was when the "values that defined Alistair as a man and as a leader came to the fore."

"A model of calm, careful deliberation and strong instincts when all around him was so uncertain," she added.

"Those difficult months required courage, the willingness to listen to advice, the intellect to grasp it, the ability to act with swift, bold judgements when called upon and to take responsibility for those momentous decisions.

"That was Alistair Darling."

Herald columnist and former Labour minister Brian Wilson described his friend as a "serious man who dealt with serious things".

He was, he added: "A good man. A caring man, imbued with the genes of public service and social justice. A powerful combination."

He said that during the financial crisis, the then chancellor had made “clear, calm decisions”, and having “saved the British economy from the recklessness of the banks." 

Lord Darling was later “pressed into service one more time to prevent the break up of the United Kingdom” by heading the Better Together campaign.

“Suffice to say, nobody could have done it more effectively, or in the end more successfully," Mr Wilson added.

There were tributes too from Lord Darling's children.

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”.

Speaking about his father, he said: “We did know him best, and what we know is that however interested he was in politics and economics, what he really loved, apart from his family and the countryside, was tractors.”

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.”

While she said the family feel “overwhelming grief” after his death, she added they will “remember that to feel such unimaginable grief, love had to come first”.

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.”

Lord Darling served as a Labour MP between 1987 and 2015, first for Edinburgh Central and then for Edinburgh South West.

He served in Tony Blair’s government, first as chief secretary to the Treasury before taking on the work and pensions brief in 1998.

He was appointed as Transport Secretary in 2002 and as Scotland secretary in 2003.

He became Mr Brown's Chancellor in 2007, but less than a year later he found himself in the middle of a crisis. At one point he took a call from the head of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) saying the bank would run out of money within hours.

Following his death, Mr Brown described Mr Darling as a “statesman of unimpeachable integrity whose life was defined by a strong sense of social justice”.

He added: “I, like many, relied on his wisdom, calmness in a crisis and his humour.”

Lord Darling also chaired the Better Together campaign to keep Scotland in the UK in the run-up to the 2014 independence referendum.

He became the public face of the No side, fronting many of their campaign events and taking part in debates with the then first minister Alex Salmond. 

His death last month prompted tributes from across the political spectrum. Mr Yousaf described him as a “giant” of Scottish politics.

The SNP leader was joined at the ceremony by Westminster colleague Joanna Cherry, who represents Edinburgh South West, the seat previously held by Lord Darling. 

Former Chancellor George Osborne and ex-Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson also attended.

Following Lord Darling's death, Sir Keir said his loss to the party would be “immeasurable”.

“He will be remembered as the chancellor whose calm expertise and honesty helped to guide Britain through the tumult of the global financial crisis.

“He was a lifelong advocate for Scotland and the Scottish people and his greatest professional pride came from representing his constituents in Edinburgh.

“I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have benefited from Alistair’s counsel and friendship.

“He was always at hand to provide advice built on his decades of experience – always with his trademark wry, good humour.

“Alistair will be missed by all those whose lives he touched. His loss to the Labour Party, his friends and his family is immeasurable.”

Harry Potter author and Better Together donor JK Rowling also attended the service. So too did Rebus author, Sir Ian Rankin.

Born in London in 1953, Mr Darling was educated at Aberdeen University earning a degree in law before his entry into politics, winning the Edinburgh Central seat for Labour in 1987.

He held the constituency and its successor, Edinburgh South West, until 2015.

He was given a life peerage in 2015, becoming Baron Darling of Roulanish, ultimately retiring from the House of Lords in 2020.

Lord Darling is survived by his wife, Maggie and his two children.