Steve Darling

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix = Councillor

| name = Steve Darling

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MP}}

| 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

| successor =

| majority = 5,349 (11.6%)

| office1 = Liberal Democrat portfolios

| suboffice1 = Work and Pensions

| subterm1 = 2024–present

| office2 = Member of Torbay Council{{efn|Torbay Borough Council until 1 April 1998}}
for Barton with Watcombe

Watcombe (2003–2019)

Shiphay (1995–2003)

| 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.{{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}}}}

| successor3 = David Thomas

| birth_name = Stephen Matthew Darling

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1969}}

| birth_place = Birmingham, England

| party = Liberal Democrats

| alma_mater =

| website =

}}

Stephen Matthew Darling{{London Gazette |date=22 July 2024 |issue=64465 |page=14086}} (born 1969) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Torbay since 2024. A member of Torbay Council since 1995, he also served as the council's leader from 2019 to 2023. Darling is registered blind and uses a guide dog named Jennie.

Political career

Darling was first elected to Torbay Borough Council in 1995 for the ward of Shiphay.{{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}} When the council became a unitary authority as Torbay Council in 1998, Darling was re-elected as a councillor for Shiphay in 1997 and 2000.{{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}} He represented the ward of Watcombe following the reorganisation of ward boundaries in 2003,{{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}} and has represented Barton with Watcombe since a further change in ward boundaries in 2019.{{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}} Darling served as the leader of Torbay Council from 28 May 2019 to 16 May 2023.{{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}}{{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}}

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

In 2024, Darling was selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the constituency of Torbay at the 2024 United Kingdom general election.{{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}} At the general election, Darling gained the seat from Foster, winning with a majority of 5,349.{{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}}

Personal life

File:Steve Darling MP with guide dog Jennie in Parliament.jpg

In 1969, Darling was given up for adoption in Birmingham at three months old, and moved to Torquay in Devon at the age of 18 months. He traced his birth family in the 2000s and discovered that they lived nearby in South Devon.{{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}}{{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}}

Darling has Stargardt disease, a genetic eye condition that causes his vision to be "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.{{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}} He is one of at least three disabled MPs who were first elected in 2024, alongside Labour MPs Marie Tidball and Jen Craft.{{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}}

In September 2023, Jennie was attacked by an XL Bully dog in Torbay and recovered from the attack.{{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}} 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.{{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}}

Darling's wife, Mandy, is also registered blind and has served as a Torbay councillor.{{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}} They have two sons.{{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}}