Steve Darling

Darling was first elected to Torbay Borough Council in 1995 for the ward of Shiphay. 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. He represented the ward of Watcombe following the reorganisation of ward boundaries in 2003, and has represented Barton with Watcombe since a further change in ward boundaries in 2019. Darling served as the leader of Torbay Council from 28 May 2019 to 16 May 2023. 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. At the general election, Darling gained the seat from Foster, winning with a majority of 5,349. == Personal life ==

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. 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. He is one of at least three disabled MPs who were first elected in 2024, alongside Labour MPs Marie Tidball and Jen Craft. In September 2023, Jennie was attacked by an XL Bully dog in Torbay and recovered from the attack. 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. Darling's wife, Mandy, is also registered blind and has served as a Torbay councillor. They have two sons. == Notes ==