Inside Alistair Darling’s relationship with wife Maggie Darling who was called a ‘true firebrand’ by Michelle Obama
ALISTAIR Darling’s wife Maggie spent more than 30 years at his side and was once dubbed a “true firebrand” by Michelle Obama.
But Maggie is now grieving as her husband, the veteran politician, tragically died today. He was 70.
The Former Chancellor and Labour MP memorably led the Treasury during the financial crisis under PM Gordon Brown between 2007 and 2010.
Darling also led the Better Together campaign, which won the Scottish independence vote in 2014.
A statement issued on behalf of Maggie and his loved ones today said: “The death of Alistair Darling, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer and long-serving member of the Labour cabinet, was announced in Edinburgh today.
“Mr Darling, the much-loved husband of Margaret and beloved father of Calum and Anna, died after a short spell in Western General Hospital under the wonderful care of the cancer team.”
Margaret McQueen Vaughan and Alistair Darling had been happily married since 1986.
The couple proudly had two children together — a son, Calum, and a daughter, Anna.
Calum was born in 1988, while Anna was born in 1990.
In 2011 Darling published a memoir titled Back from the Brink: 1,000 Days at Number 11.
He said he wrote for his children “to explain to them where I’ve been for the last three years”.
But he and Maggie didn’t always stay together – and spent parts of their relationship living in different countries.
Maggie was based in Scotland while working as a journalist — meaning the couple had a mostly long-distance relationship.
She worked for the Daily Record, Radio Forth and the Glasgow Herald – and reportedly took a break from journalism when the Labour Party won the 1997 general election.
She stuck with her love of being a reporter – but there was another time she caught the eye of a politician.
The Guardian reported the US’s first lady Michelle Obama once called Maggie “a true firebrand”.
There was a time during Darling’s stint at London‘s 11 Downing Street when Maggie shifted there – it was 20017 when their son was at university and their daughter was on her gap year.
Speaking about this period in 2011, Darling told the Scotsman: “To have her upstairs was tremendously helpful.
“If you wanted to escape for ten minutes even, you could do it.
“Actually, we enjoyed it, so much so that Margaret comes down to London a lot more than she would have done in years gone past.”
The politician said that he would have found it “very very difficult” to have dealt with everything thrown at him if he didn’t have Maggie so close.
He continued: “Also, as chancellor, you have to do a certain amount of entertaining, and so on, and it’s very helpful if there are two of you rather than one of you.
“The flat is a temporary home for whoever is in it, and you forget that at your peril. But it does help if it is your home.”
Tributes poured in for Darling today as the news of his death rocked politicians.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of the news as he led tributes from across the divide today.
He added: “My heart goes out to his family, particularly Maggie, Calum and Anna, whom he loved so dearly.”
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves added: “I will miss his advice and his counsel. But, more than anything I will miss his friendship, his kindness and decency, his humour and his warmth.”
Former SNP First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Very sad to hear the news of Alistair Darling’s untimely death.
“Though we were on opposing sides of the independence referendum – with the inevitable clashes that involved – I always found him to be a man of intellect and principle.”