Today's newsletter was going to focus on Matt Hancock, who is appearing in front of the Covid-19 Inquiry, to discuss his role as health secretary during the pandemic. But events have superseded that.
Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2007 to 2010, has died after a short illness. He was 70. Darling, like Hancock, was no stranger to crisis, having overseen Britain's response to the global financial crisis before later heading the 'No' campaign during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. But unlike Hancock, Darling secured widespread respect from across the House.
