Ex-UK Finance Minister Alistair Darling, Who Fought Financial Crisis, Dies
Former British Finance Minister Alistair Darling, who steered the country's economy and banking system through the shock of the global financial crisis in 2007-08, died aged 70.
Darling was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown in June 2007, just as the crisis was brewing at some of the world's biggest financial institutions.
He oversaw the rescue of British lender Northern Rock a few months into the job. In October 2008, he played a key role in a 37 billion-pound ($47 billion) government bailout of Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB and HBOS to help them survive the credit crunch.
Darling was a member of parliament representing the centre-left Labour Party between 1987 and 2015 and he served as chief secretary to the Treasury before being promoted to run the finance ministry by Brown.