The British Chancellor, Mr Gordon Brown, and his long-time girlfriend Ms Sarah Macaulay are to be married today in his Dunfermline East constituency. The pair will be married in a private family ceremony by a local Scottish minister and will hold a small reception for family and friends before setting off on honeymoon.
The Prime Minister, Mr Blair, and his wife, Cherie, will not be attending the ceremony but were among the first to offer their congratulations. A spokeswoman said last night: "The Prime Minister and Ms Blair are very happy for the Chancellor and Sarah Macaulay."
Only close family and friends will be attending today's service, but the couple will be holding a party for friends and colleagues when they return next month.
Last night's news came in a surprise statement from Mr Brown's special adviser and ends long speculation over when the couple would tie the knot. It emerged that Mr Brown had proposed to Ms Macaulay in January and a date for the wedding had been set soon afterwards. But despite great media interest the pair had managed to keep news of their wedding private.
Mr Brown met Miss Macaulay in 1994 and the couple's friendship deepened after they were both involved in a fund-raising event in his constituency.
Colleagues on all sides of the House were quick to welcome the news that the pair were to marry. Mr Brown's opposite number, Mr Michael Portillo, said: "I would like to offer my congratulations to them both and wish them all the best for the future."
Liberal Democrat leader, Mr Charles Kennedy, also expressed delight at the announcement, saying: "I wish them both a happy day tomorrow and a wonderful life together."
Miss Macaulay is partner in a PR consultancy Hobsbawm Macaulay. She is a committed Labour supporter and many commentators see her as the ideal partner for the chancellor, who is a self confessed workaholic.