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{{Short description|British politician}}
{{Short description|British politician (born 1969)}}

{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = [[Councillor]]
| name = Steve Darling
| name = Steve Darling
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MP}}
⚫
| office = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Torbay (UK Parliament constituency)|Torbay]]
| termstart = 4 July 2024
| image = Official portrait of Steve Darling MP crop 2.jpg
| caption = Official portrait, 2024
| parliament = United Kingdom
| constituency_MP = Torbay
| term_start = 4 July 2024
| term_end =
| predecessor = [[Kevin Foster (politician)|Kevin Foster]]
| predecessor = [[Kevin Foster (politician)|Kevin Foster]]
| party = [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]]
| successor =
| website = {{URL|https://www.torbaylibdems.org.uk/}}
| majority = 5,349 (11.6%)
| majority = 5,349 (11.6%)
| office1 = Liberal Democrat portfolios
| suboffice1 = [[Department for Work and Pensions|Work and Pensions]]
| subterm1 = 2024–present
| office2 = Member of [[Torbay Council]]{{efn|Torbay Borough Council until 1 April 1998}}<br />for Barton with Watcombe<div style="font-weight:normal;">Watcombe (2003–2019)</div><div style="font-weight:normal;">Shiphay (1995–2003)</div>
| term_start2 = 8 May 1995
| term_end2 =
| office3 = Leader of Torbay Council
| term_start3 = 28 May 2019
| term_end3 = 16 May 2023
| predecessor3 = ''Office established''{{efn|Gordon Oliver served as the directly elected executive [[mayor of Torbay]] until the office was abolished in 2019.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 May 2016 |title=Torbay mayor and cabinet system scrapped in referendum |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2016-36241115 |work=BBC News |language=en |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref>}}
| successor3 = David Thomas
| birth_name = Stephen Matthew Darling
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1969}}
| birth_place = [[Birmingham]], England
| party = [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]]
| alma_mater =
| website =
}}
}}


'''Stephen Matthew Darling''' (born April 1969 in [[Birmingham]]) is a [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] politician in the [[United Kingdom]]. He was elected to serve as [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Torbay (UK Parliament constituency)|Torbay]] in the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/5066/contact|title=Contact information for Steve Darling - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament|publisher=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]}}</ref> Darling is registered [[Visual_impairment|blind]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/american-xl-bully-attacks-blind-8755983|title=Bully XL savagely attacks blind Devon councillor's dog|first=Molly|last=Seaman|date=September 15, 2023|website=Devon Live}}</ref>
'''Stephen Matthew Darling'''<ref>{{London Gazette |date=22 July 2024 |issue=64465 |page=14086}}</ref> (born 1969) is a British [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] politician who has served as [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Torbay (UK Parliament constituency)|Torbay]] since 2024. He has been a member of [[Torbay Council]] since 1995 and was the leader of the council from 2019 to 2023. Darling is registered blind and has a guide dog named Jennie.


==Political career==
== Political career ==
Darling was first elected to [[Torbay Borough Council]] in 1995 for the ward of Shiphay.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Torbay Borough Council Election Results 1973–1995 |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Torbay-1973-1995.pdf |website=Elections Centre |language=en |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref> The council became a [[unitary authority]] as [[Torbay Council]] in 1998, and Darling was re-elected as a councillor for Shiphay in 1997 and 2000.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Torbay Council Election Results 1997–2011 |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Torbay-1997-2011.pdf |website=Elections Centre |language=en |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref> He represented the ward of Watcombe from the reorganisation of ward boundaries in 2003,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Watcombe Ward – Torbay |url=https://www.andrewteale.me.uk/leap/ward/2523/ |website=Local Elections Archive Project |language=en |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref> and has represented Barton with Watcombe since a further change in ward boundaries in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Barton with Watcombe Ward – Torbay |url=https://www.andrewteale.me.uk/leap/ward/20330/ |website=Local Elections Archive Project |language=en |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref> Darling was the leader of Torbay Council from 28 May 2019 to 16 May 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 May 2019 |title=New appointments at Torbay Council |url=https://wearesouthdevon.com/new-appointments-at-torbay-council/ |work=We Are South Devon |language=en |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Agenda for Council on Tuesday, 16 May 2023, 11.00 am |url=https://www.torbay.gov.uk/DemocraticServices/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=163&MId=10360 |publisher=Torbay Council |language=en |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref>


Darling's mentor was [[Adrian Sanders]], Torbay MP from 1997 to 2015, who employed Darling in his constituency office as a caseworker and later senior caseworker during his time in office.
Before he became a Member of Parliament, Darling was a local councillor for 30 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.libdems.org.uk/candidates/torbay|title=Steve Darling - MP for Torbay|website=LibDems website}}</ref> From 2019 to 2023 he was leader of [[Torbay Council]].


During his national campaign, he gained recognition when local [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] campaigners allegedly falsely accused him of pretending to be blind for political gain. The charity Devon in Sight said that Darling "has been living with a rare genetic eye disease that started in childhood. He was formally registered blind in his teens with a deteriorating eye condition that may well end in total sight loss", adding that he was registered with Devon in Sight in 1986. His Conservative opponent [[Kevin Foster (politician)|Kevin Foster]], whom he unseated in the election, denied that this allegation had been made.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Boffey |first=Daniel |date=2 July 2024 |title=Tories criticised for saying Lib Dem candidate pretending to be blind |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/02/tory-canvasser-accused-of-questioning-devon-lib-dem-candidates-sight-loss |access-date=5 July 2024 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>
In 2024, Darling was selected as the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] candidate for the constituency of [[Torbay (UK Parliament constituency)|Torbay]] at the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 May 2024 |title=Liberal Democrats select Steve Darling to fight for Torbay at General Election |url=https://www.torbaylibdems.org.uk/news/article/ge2024 |publisher=Torbay Liberal Democrats |language=en |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref> During his campaign, a charity for visually impaired people in Devon accused local [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] canvassers of suggesting that Darling was pretending to be blind for political gain. His Conservative opponent, [[Kevin Foster (politician)|Kevin Foster]], denied that the allegations had been made.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Boffey |first=Daniel |date=2 July 2024 |title=Tories criticised for saying Lib Dem candidate pretending to be blind |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/02/tory-canvasser-accused-of-questioning-devon-lib-dem-candidates-sight-loss |work=The Guardian |language=en |access-date=5 July 2024}}</ref> At the general election, Darling gained the seat from Foster, winning a majority of 5,349.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Torbay {{!}} General Election 2024 |url=https://election.news.sky.com/elections/general-election-2024/torbay-587 |work=Sky News |language=en |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref>


==Personal life==
== Personal life ==
[[File:Steve Darling MP with guide dog Jennie in Parliament.jpg|left|thumb|Darling with his guide dog Jennie in Parliament in July 2024]]
Darling was given up for adoption when he was three months old. In 2014, he traced his natural mother, finding she was living six miles from his home.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-25620392|title=Coincidences in Devon man's search for birth mother|author=Sophie Pierce}}</ref>
In 1969, Darling was given up for adoption in [[Birmingham, England|Birmingham]] when he was three months old, and moved to [[Torquay]] in Devon at the age of 18 months. He traced his birth family in the 2000s, finding them to be living nearby in South Devon.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pierce |first=Sophie |date=7 January 2014 |title=Coincidences in Devon man's search for birth mother |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-25620392 |work=BBC News |language=en |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Darling |first=Steve |date=16 October 2020 |title=Steve Darling: Calling would-be parents who could step forward and help a child in need |url=https://www.torbayweekly.co.uk/news/local-news/1220231/steve-darling-calling-would-be-parents-who-could-step-forward-and-help-a-child-in-need.html |work=Torbay Weekly |language=en |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref>


Darling has [[Stargardt disease]], a genetic eye condition that makes his vision "a bit like looking through frosted glass". He is aided by his [[guide dog]] Jennie, who is three-quarters [[Golden Retriever]] and one-quarter [[Labrador Retriever|Labrador]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Morris |first=Jonathan |date=28 July 2024 |title=MP's guide dog aims for Larry the cat's popularity |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cglk4neeej8o |work=BBC News |language=en |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref> He is one of at least three [[disabled]] MPs who were first elected in 2024, alongside Labour MPs [[Marie Tidball]] and [[Jen Craft]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Pring |first=John |date=11 July 2024 |title=Trio of new disabled MPs join House of Commons |url=https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/trio-of-new-disabled-mps-join-house-of-commons/ |access-date=12 July 2024 |work=Disability News Service}}</ref>
⚫
==References==

{{reflist}}
In September 2023, Jennie was attacked by an [[XL Bully]] dog in [[Torbay]], and recovered from the attack.<ref>{{cite web |last=Green |first=Alex |date=15 September 2023 |title=Devon man's guide dog attacked by bully XL dog |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-66809150 |accessdate=5 September 2024 |website=BBC News}}</ref> She is not the first guide dog to serve in Westminster, as [[House of Lords]] members [[David Blunkett|Baron Blunkett]] and [[Chris Holmes, Baron Holmes of Richmond|Baron Holmes of Richmond]] also use guide dogs in the chamber.<ref>{{cite web |last=Murray |first=Jessica |date=29 July 2024 |title=Watch out Larry: how Jennie the golden retriever is taking Westminster by storm |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/29/larry-jennie-golden-retriever-westminster-liberal-democrat-mp-steve-darling-guide-dog |accessdate=5 September 2024 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

Darling's wife, Mandy, is also registered blind and has been a fellow Torbay councillor.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 May 2022 |title=Torbay mayor's guide dog presented with crochet chain |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-61484688 |work=BBC News |language=en |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref> They have two sons.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steve Darling: MP for Torbay |url=https://www.libdems.org.uk/mps/torbay |publisher=Liberal Democrats |language=en |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

⚫
== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
<!-- *{{Official website| }} -->
*{{UK MP links
| parliament = 5066
| publicwhip = Steve_Darling
| theywork = 26349
}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Kevin Foster (politician)|Kevin Foster]]}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Torbay (UK Parliament constituency)|Torbay]]|years=[[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024]]–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}


{{Current UK Liberal Democrat MPs}}
{{Current UK Liberal Democrat MPs}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Darling, Steve}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Darling, Steve}}
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:1969 births]]
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Blind politicians]]
[[Category:Blind politicians]]
[[Category:British politicians with disabilities]]
[[Category:British politicians with disabilities]]
[[Category:Councillors in Devon]]
[[Category:English adoptees]]
[[Category:English adoptees]]
[[Category:English blind people]]
[[Category:Leaders of local authorities of England]]
[[Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors]]
[[Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
[[Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Politicians from Birmingham, West Midlands]]
[[Category:Politicians from Birmingham, West Midlands]]
[[Category:Politicians from Torquay]]
[[Category:Politicians from Torquay]]
[[Category:Spouses of British politicians]]
[[Category:UK councillors 1995–1999]]
[[Category:UK councillors 1997–2001]]
[[Category:UK councillors 2000–2004]]
[[Category:UK councillors 2003–2007]]
[[Category:UK councillors 2007–2011]]
[[Category:UK councillors 2011–2015]]
[[Category:UK councillors 2015–2019]]
[[Category:UK councillors 2019–2023]]
[[Category:UK councillors 2023–2027]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2024–present]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2024–present]]


{{England-UK-MP-stub}}

Latest revision as of 20:13, 18 November 2024

Councillor
Steve Darling
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Torbay
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byKevin Foster
Majority5,349 (11.6%)
Liberal Democrat portfolios
2024–presentWork and Pensions
Member of Torbay Council[a]
for Barton with Watcombe
Watcombe (2003–2019)
Shiphay (1995–2003)
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 May 1995
Leader of Torbay Council
In office
28 May 2019 – 16 May 2023
Preceded byOffice established[b]
Succeeded byDavid Thomas
Personal details
Born
Stephen Matthew Darling

1969 (age 54–55)
Birmingham, England
Political partyLiberal Democrats

Stephen Matthew Darling[2] (born 1969) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Torbay since 2024. He has been a member of Torbay Council since 1995 and was the leader of the council from 2019 to 2023. Darling is registered blind and has a guide dog named Jennie.

Political career

[edit]

Darling was first elected to Torbay Borough Council in 1995 for the ward of Shiphay.[3] The council became a unitary authority as Torbay Council in 1998, and Darling was re-elected as a councillor for Shiphay in 1997 and 2000.[4] He represented the ward of Watcombe from the reorganisation of ward boundaries in 2003,[5] and has represented Barton with Watcombe since a further change in ward boundaries in 2019.[6] Darling was the leader of Torbay Council from 28 May 2019 to 16 May 2023.[7][8]

Darling's mentor was Adrian Sanders, Torbay MP from 1997 to 2015, who employed Darling in his constituency office as a caseworker and later senior caseworker during his time in office.

In 2024, Darling was selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the constituency of Torbay at the 2024 general election.[9] During his campaign, a charity for visually impaired people in Devon accused local Conservative Party canvassers of suggesting that Darling was pretending to be blind for political gain. His Conservative opponent, Kevin Foster, denied that the allegations had been made.[10] At the general election, Darling gained the seat from Foster, winning a majority of 5,349.[11]

Personal life

[edit]
Darling with his guide dog Jennie in Parliament in July 2024

In 1969, Darling was given up for adoption in Birmingham when he was three months old, and moved to Torquay in Devon at the age of 18 months. He traced his birth family in the 2000s, finding them to be living nearby in South Devon.[12][13]

Darling has Stargardt disease, a genetic eye condition that makes his vision "a bit like looking through frosted glass". He is aided by his guide dog Jennie, who is three-quarters Golden Retriever and one-quarter Labrador.[14] He is one of at least three disabled MPs who were first elected in 2024, alongside Labour MPs Marie Tidball and Jen Craft.[15]

In September 2023, Jennie was attacked by an XL Bully dog in Torbay, and recovered from the attack.[16] She is not the first guide dog to serve in Westminster, as House of Lords members Baron Blunkett and Baron Holmes of Richmond also use guide dogs in the chamber.[17]

Darling's wife, Mandy, is also registered blind and has been a fellow Torbay councillor.[18] They have two sons.[19]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Torbay Borough Council until 1 April 1998
  2. ^ Gordon Oliver served as the directly elected executive mayor of Torbay until the office was abolished in 2019.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Torbay mayor and cabinet system scrapped in referendum". BBC News. 8 May 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  2. ^ "No. 64465". The London Gazette. 22 July 2024. p. 14086.
  3. ^ "Torbay Borough Council Election Results 1973–1995" (PDF). Elections Centre. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Torbay Council Election Results 1997–2011" (PDF). Elections Centre. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Watcombe Ward – Torbay". Local Elections Archive Project. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Barton with Watcombe Ward – Torbay". Local Elections Archive Project. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  7. ^ "New appointments at Torbay Council". We Are South Devon. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Agenda for Council on Tuesday, 16 May 2023, 11.00 am". Torbay Council. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Liberal Democrats select Steve Darling to fight for Torbay at General Election". Torbay Liberal Democrats. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  10. ^ Boffey, Daniel (2 July 2024). "Tories criticised for saying Lib Dem candidate pretending to be blind". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Torbay | General Election 2024". Sky News. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  12. ^ Pierce, Sophie (7 January 2014). "Coincidences in Devon man's search for birth mother". BBC News. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  13. ^ Darling, Steve (16 October 2020). "Steve Darling: Calling would-be parents who could step forward and help a child in need". Torbay Weekly. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  14. ^ Morris, Jonathan (28 July 2024). "MP's guide dog aims for Larry the cat's popularity". BBC News. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  15. ^ Pring, John (11 July 2024). "Trio of new disabled MPs join House of Commons". Disability News Service. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  16. ^ Green, Alex (15 September 2023). "Devon man's guide dog attacked by bully XL dog". BBC News. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  17. ^ Murray, Jessica (29 July 2024). "Watch out Larry: how Jennie the golden retriever is taking Westminster by storm". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Torbay mayor's guide dog presented with crochet chain". BBC News. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Steve Darling: MP for Torbay". Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
[edit]
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Torbay
2024–present 		Incumbent


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