Alistair Darling was born in London. He was first elected to the House of Commons at the 1987 General Election. His government posts under Tony Blair include: Chief Secretary to the Treasury (1997-1998), Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1998-2002), Transport Secretary (2002-2006), Scottish Secretary (2003-2006) and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (2006-2007).