Chancellor Alistair Darling Talks To Grazia

In June 2007 we got yourself a new PM. Gordon Brown took a step up to replace Blair, which meant that Brown's old flat - No 11 Downing Street - became vacant. Alistair Darling decided to squat. For better and for worse he's now been our money man for over two years, preceding over unstable times indeed.

In a unexpected interview with Grazia (it's about meeting the people on their own terms, I suppose), Darling talks about the ongoing crisis and how he sees the future. His rather terrifying verdict on the autumn of 2008 is worth noting: "We were hours away from the cash points closing down!"

But it is when Grazia's questions go into overdrive that FiP gets excited. Q: Do you dye your eyebrows? A: "That is absolute nonsense! Why on earth would anyone dye their eyebrows? I've been going grey since my teens and I'm a great believer in accepting whatever nature does to you. The idea of spending your time immersed in hair dye does not appeal to me!"

So now we know.