A COUPLE attending their granddaughter’s wedding noticed a familiar face when they got off the train at Darlington railway station.

But it was not the son they were expecting to collect them.

Striding up the platform, with his hand outstretched, was Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was in the region on a visit to Teesside.

Alf and Maureen Muir, both 82, had just completed their journey down the East Coast Mainline from Fife in Scotland.

They were due to attend the wedding Emma and James Sleigh at Hardwick Hall Hotel in Sedgefield.

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Alf’s son Peter Hughes, who lives in Darlington, and went to pick them up, said: “I was a couple of minutes behind time and as they were coming off the train Maureen recognised someone walking towards them.

“She naturally started to walk towards him, and then said: ‘Oh, hello sir, what are you doing here?

“It was Boris Johnson. He was just chatting away. He said he was there on business.

There was loads of police and security there and she said: ‘Are these all for you?’

“He said: ‘Oh yeah, they are my staff’

“It was quite funny, because then she started telling him he needed to do more help pensioners.

“Then she said: “You need to sort the Government out, especially that Nicola Sturgeon.

“They are not really politically minded but as they live in Scotland it was just a little playful dig.”

The Northern Echo: Maureen and Alf with Emma and James on their wedding dayMaureen and Alf with Emma and James on their wedding day

The wedding was on Sunday May 29 and the meeting was captured by a Downing Street photographer.

Darlington MP Peter Gibson posted the snap on his Facebook page with an appeal to make sure couple had the picture of their encounter as a keepsake.

He wrote “Did you have relatives (pictured) who had arrived from Scotland by train?
“I thought your relatives might like a copy of the picture recording their encounter with the PM whilst they waited to be collected.

“Sadly, I don’t have their names but the power of Facebook might get it to them.”

Mr Hughes responded and Mr Gibson's office has sent over a copy of the picture.

Commenting on Mr Gibson’s post Emma, who lives in Scotland added: “They will be over the moon to see this!

“It certainly made the start of our wedding weekend for them, although I think Grandma would’ve had a lot more to say had she not of been restricted of time.”

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