Chancellor of the Exchequer

Charmed though his career was, the biggest leap of all came on 28 July 2007 when he was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer - a role that dates back to the 13th Century. It wasn't exactly a surprise, though. Darling had long been seen as a close confidante of Gordon Brown, who'd dominated the Treasury for a decade. On making the move from Chancellor to Number 10, Gordon was quick to reward his old friend Alistair with the Chancellorship. However, despite being described as one of the most successful "safe pair of hands" in the Brown government, Darling has the dubious accolade of having been voted the most boring politician in Britain. And that's not once, but twice! Behind closed doors, though, it’s clear that this public figure does have a personality. A big fan of the vintage comedy Fawlty Towers, he rather cutely named the family cat after Sybil Fawlty herself. And speaking of cats and sitcoms, he named a previous pet after Sir Humphrey Appleby – the scheming civil servant from the satirical comedy Yes Minister. Darling shares the three-bed flat above No. 11 Downing Street with his wife Maggie, a feisty former Sunday Standard journalist, and their two children Calum (born 1988) and Anna (born 1991). The family also has a house in the Morningside area of Edinburgh – situated in the same street as JK Rowling no less!