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The Right Honourable
Nick Clegg

MP
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Incumbent
Assumed office
11 May 2010
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byJohn Prescott[a]
Lord President of the Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
11 May 2010
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byThe Lord Mandelson
Leader of the Liberal Democrats
Incumbent
Assumed office
18 December 2007
DeputyVince Cable
Simon Hughes
Preceded byVince Cable (acting)
Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesman
In office
2 March 2006 – 18 December 2007
LeaderMenzies Campbell
Preceded byMark Oaten
Succeeded byChris Huhne
Member of Parliament
for Sheffield Hallam
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 May 2005
Preceded byRichard Allan
Majority15,284 (29.9%)
Member of the European Parliament
for East Midlands
In office
10 June 1999 – 10 June 2004
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byBill Newton Dunn
Personal details
Born (1967-01-07) 7 January 1967 (age 57)
Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, England
Political partyLiberal Democrats
SpouseMiriam González Durántez (m. 2000-present)
Children3 sons
Alma materRobinson College, Cambridge
University of Minnesota
College of Europe
Websitenickclegg.com
nickclegg.org.uk
a. ^ Office vacant from 27 June 2007 to 11 May 2010.

Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government[1] of Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron. Clegg is the Leader of the Liberal Democrats and is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield Hallam.

Clegg's first major elected position was as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East Midlands from 1999 to 2004. He was elected Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam in the 2005 general election and became the Liberal Democrats' Home Affairs spokesperson in 2006. Clegg defeated Chris Huhne in the party's 2007 leadership election. Clegg became Deputy Prime Minister following the 2010 general election, when the Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government with the Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister David Cameron. As well as his parliamentary roles, Clegg has contributed to many pamphlets and books on political issues.

Clegg was educated at Caldicott School in Buckinghamshire and Westminster School in London, followed by Robinson College at the University of Cambridge, where he studied Social Anthropology; he later studied at the University of Minnesota and the College of Europe in Belgium. He is married to Miriam González Durántez; they have three sons.

Early life, family

Clegg was born in Chalfont St Giles in Buckinghamshire, in 1967, the third of four children. His father, Nicholas Clegg CBE, is chairman of United Trust Bank,[2] and is a trustee of The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation,[3] where Ken Clarke was an adviser.[4] Clegg's paternal grandmother, Kira von Engelhardt, was the daughter of a Baron from the multiethnic Imperial Russia, of German-Russian and Ukrainian origin, whose family fled the Bolsheviks after the 1917 Russian Revolution. One of his great-great-grandfathers, Ignaty Zakrevsky, was attorney general of the imperial Russian senate.[5] One of his great-great aunts was the writer, Baroness Moura Budberg.[6] Clegg's paternal grandfather, Hugh Anthony Clegg, was the editor of the British Medical Journal for 35 years.[7]

Clegg's Dutch mother, Hermance van den Wall Bake,[8] was, along with her family, interned by the Japanese military in Batavia (Jakarta) in the Dutch East Indies. She met Clegg's father during a visit to England in 1956,[7] and they married on 1 August 1959.[9]

Clegg is multilingual: he speaks English, Dutch, French, German, and Spanish.[10][11][12] His background has informed his politics. He says, "There is simply not a shred of racism in me, as a person whose whole family is formed by flight from persecution, from different people in different generations. It’s what I am. It’s one of the reasons I am a liberal."[13] His Dutch mother instilled in him "a degree of scepticism about the entrenched class configurations in British society".[14]

Education

Clegg was educated at the private Caldicott School at Farnham Royal in South Buckinghamshire, and later at the private Westminster School in London. As a 16-year-old exchange student in Munich, Germany, he was sentenced to a term of community service after he and a friend burned a collection of cacti belonging to a professor. When news of the incident was later reported during his time as Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, Clegg said it was something he was "not proud" of.[15]

He spent a gap year as a skiing instructor in Austria, before attending Robinson College, Cambridge in 1986.[16] Clegg studied Social Anthropology at Cambridge University and was active in the student theatre; he acted alongside Helena Bonham Carter in a play about AIDS, and under director Sam Mendes.[16][17][18] He was captain of the college tennis team, and campaigned for the human rights organisation Survival International.[19] In 2008 it was reported that while at university, Clegg had joined the Cambridge University Conservative Association between 1986 and 1987, with contemporary membership records citing an "N. Clegg" of Robinson College. (At the time, Clegg was the only person of that name at Robinson.) However, Clegg himself later maintained he had "no recollection of that whatsoever".[20][21][22][23]

Clegg spent summer 1989 as an office junior in Postipankki bank in Helsinki.[24]

After university he was awarded a scholarship to study for a year at the University of Minnesota, where he wrote a thesis on the political philosophy of the Deep Green movement. He then moved to New York City, where he worked as an intern under Christopher Hitchens at The Nation, a left-wing magazine.[25]

Clegg next moved to Brussels, where he worked for six months as a trainee in the G24 co-ordination unit which delivered aid to the countries of the former Soviet Union. After the internship he took a second master's degree at the College of Europe in Bruges, an elite university for European studies in Belgium, where he met his wife, Miriam González Durántez, a lawyer and the daughter of a Spanish senator.[18] Nick Clegg belonged to the "Mozart Promotion" at the College of Europe.

Between 1992-1993, he was employed by GJW, which lobbied on behalf of Libya.[26][27]

Careers outside politics

In 1993, Clegg won the Financial Times' David Thomas Prize, in remembrance of an FT journalist killed on assignment in Kuwait in 1991. Clegg was the award's first recipient. He was later sent to Hungary, where he wrote articles about the mass privatisation of industries in the former communist bloc.[18]

In April 1994, he took up a post at the European Commission, working in the TACIS aid programme to the former Soviet Union. For two years he was responsible for developing direct aid programmes in Central Asia and the Caucasus, worth €50 million. He was involved in negotiations with Russia on airline overflight rights, and launched a conference in Tashkent in 1993 that founded TRACECA—an international transport programme for the development of a Transport Corridor for Europe, the Caucasus and Asia. Vice President and Trade Commissioner Leon Brittan then offered Clegg a job in his private office, as a European Union policy adviser and speech writer. As part of this role, Clegg was in charge of the EC negotiating team on Chinese and Russian accession talks to the World Trade Organisation.[18]

Written publications

Clegg has written extensively, publishing and contributing to a large number of pamphlets and books. With Dr Richard Grayson he wrote a book in 2002 about the importance of devolution in secondary education systems, based on comparative research across Europe. The final conclusions included the idea of pupil premiums so that children from poorer backgrounds receive the additional resources their educational needs require.

He wrote a controversial pamphlet for the Centre for European Reform advocating devolution and evolution of the European Union, and contributed to the 2004 Orange Book, where he offered market liberal solutions for reform of European institutions.[28] He co-authored a pamphlet with Duncan Brack arguing for a wholesale reform of world trade rules to allow room for a greater emphasis on development, internationally binding environmental treaties, and parliamentary democracy within the WTO system.

Member of the European Parliament (1999–2004)

Clegg was selected as the lead Liberal Democrat euro-candidate for the East Midlands in 1998, and was first tipped as a politician to watch by Paddy Ashdown in 1999.[29] On his election in 1999, he was the first Liberal parliamentarian elected in the East Midlands since Ernest Pickering was elected MP for Leicester West in 1931, and was credited with helping to significantly boost the Liberal Democrat poll rating in the region in the six months after his election. Clegg worked extensively during his time as an MEP to support the party in the region, not least in Chesterfield where Paul Holmes was elected as MP in 2001. Clegg helped persuade Conservative MEP Bill Newton Dunn to defect to the Liberal Democrats, with Newton Dunn subsequently succeeding him as MEP for the East Midlands.[30]

As an MEP, Clegg co-founded the Campaign for Parliamentary Reform, which led calls for reforms to expenses, transparency and accountability in the European Parliament.[31] He was made Trade and Industry spokesman for the European Liberal Democrat and Reform group (ELDR).[32] In December 2000, Nick Clegg became the Parliament's Draftsman on a complex new EU telecoms law relating to "local loop unbundling"—opening-up telephone networks across Europe to competition.[33] Clegg decided to leave Brussels in 2002, arguing in an article in The Guardian newspaper that the battle to persuade the public of the benefits of Europe was being fought at home, not in Brussels.[34]

In 2004 Nick Clegg MEP explained to the Select Committee on European Union Sixteenth Report that the aim of MEPs like himself, who had been active in the debate on the EU's negotiating mandate, was to obtain the right to ratify any major WTO deal entered into by the European Union.[35] The same year Clegg chaired a policy working group for the Liberal Democrats on the Third Age, which focused on the importance of ending the cliff-edge of retirement and providing greater opportunities for older people to remain active beyond retirement. The group developed initial proposals on transforming post offices to help them survive as community hubs, in particular for older people. He served on Charles Kennedy's policy review, "Meeting the Challenge", and the "It's About Freedom" working parties.

Whilst an MEP Clegg, for four years, wrote a fortnightly column for Guardian Unlimited. One particular article in 2002 accused Gordon Brown of encouraging "condescension" towards Germany. In an article, Clegg wrote that "all nations have a cross to bear, and none more so than Germany with its memories of Nazism. But the British cross is more insidious still. A misplaced sense of superiority, sustained by delusions of grandeur and a tenacious obsession with the last war, is much harder to shake off".[36][37] The article was dusted down during the 2010 General Election campaign when the Daily Mail interpreted the article as being a "Nazi slur on Britain" and Clegg had begun to feel the full heat of the British tabloid press following his success during the first leaders debate.[38]

Parliamentary candidate

On leaving the European Parliament, Clegg joined political lobbying firm GPlus in April 2004 as a fifth partner:[39]

It's especially exciting to be joining GPlus at a time when Brussels is moving more and more to the centre of business concerns. With the EU taking in ten more countries and adopting a new Constitution, organisations need more than ever intelligent professional help in engaging with the EU institutions.

Clegg worked on GPlus clients including The Hertz Corporation and British Gas.[40]

In November 2004, then Sheffield Hallam MP Richard Allan announced his intention to stand down from parliament, Clegg was selected as the candidate for Sheffield Hallam constituency. He took up a part-time teaching position in the politics department of the University of Sheffield, combining it with ongoing EU consultancy work with GPlus. He also gave a series of seminar lectures in the International Relations Department of the University of Cambridge.

Member of Parliament (2005–)

Clegg worked closely with Allan throughout the campaign in Sheffield Hallam – including starring in a local pantomime – and won the seat in the 2005 general election with over 50% of the vote, and a majority of 8,682.[41] This result represents one of the smallest swings away from a party in a seat where an existing MP has been succeeded by a newcomer (4.3%) – see Sheffield constituency article. Clegg also campaigned locally on local transport, recycling, housing development and health. He established close links with both of the city's universities and opposed the closure of local services including fire stations and post offices. Before becoming leader of the party in 2007 he also served as treasurer and secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on National Parks, a particular interest given that his constituency includes part of the Peak District National Park.[42]

Following his election to parliament, Clegg was promoted by leader Charles Kennedy to be the party's spokesperson on Europe, focusing on the party's preparations for an expected referendum on the European constitution and acting as deputy to Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Menzies Campbell. Clegg's ability to articulate liberal values at a very practical level quickly lent him prominence, with many already seeing him as a future Liberal Democrat leader. Following the resignation of Charles Kennedy on 7 January 2006, Clegg was touted as a possible leadership contender.[43] He was quick to rule himself out however instead declaring his support for Sir Menzies Campbell ahead of his former colleague in the European Parliament Chris Huhne,[44] with Campbell going on to win the ballot.

Clegg had been a signatory to the letter circulated by Vince Cable prior to Charles Kennedy's resignation, which stated his opposition to working under Kennedy's continued leadership.[45] Some commentators claim that Clegg's support was due to a hope that he would then inherit the leadership when Campbell's age eventually forced him to retire – the so-called rule that "young cardinals elect old popes".[46]

Liberal Democrats' Home Affairs spokesperson

After the 2006 leadership election, Clegg was promoted to be Home Affairs spokesperson, replacing Mark Oaten. In this job he spearheaded the Liberal Democrats' defence of civil liberties, proposing a Freedom Bill to repeal what he described as "unnecessary and illiberal legislation",[47] campaigning against Identity Cards and the retention of innocent people's DNA, and arguing against excessive counter-terrorism legislation. He has campaigned for prison reform, a liberal approach to immigration, and defended the Human Rights Act against ongoing attacks from across the political spectrum. In January 2007, Clegg launched the 'We Can Cut Crime!' campaign, "proposing real action at a national level and acting to cut crime where the Liberal Democrats are in power locally".[48]

Sir Menzies Campbell's resignation

Clegg caused a degree of controversy when at the Liberal Democrat party conference in 2007 he admitted his leadership ambitions to journalists at a fringe event.[49] The admission followed a period of increased media speculation about Sir Menzies Campbell's leadership, which the admission by Clegg did nothing to reduce and resulted in a rebuke by some of his frontbench colleagues.[50] This followed a report from the Daily Mirror's Kevin Macguire that Clegg had failed to hide his disloyalty to Campbell's leadership.[51] Eventually on 15 October 2007 Campbell resigned saying that questions about his leadership were "getting in the way of further progress by the party".[52]

Leader of the Liberal Democrats (2007–)

Election to the leadership

Clegg at Cardiff University

After the resignation of Campbell, Clegg was regarded by much of the media as front-runner in the leadership election.[53][54][55] The BBC's Political Editor Nick Robinson stated the election would be a two-horse race between Clegg and Chris Huhne who had stood against Campbell in the 2006 election.[56] On Friday 19 October 2007, Clegg launched his bid to become leader of the Liberal Democrats.[57] Clegg and Huhne clashed in the campaign over Trident but were largely in agreement on many other issues. It was announced on 18 December that he had won.[58] Clegg was appointed to the Privy Council on 30 January 2008 and affirmed his membership on 12 March 2008.

In his acceptance speech upon winning the leadership contest, Clegg declared himself to be "a liberal by temperament, by instinct and by upbringing" and that he believes "Britain [is] a place of tolerance and pluralism". He has stated that he feels "a profound antagonism for prejudice of all sorts".[14] He declared his priorities as: defending civil liberties; devolving the running of public services to parents, pupils and patients; and protecting the environment.[59]

In an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live on the morning after his election to the leadership, Clegg stated that he does not believe in God, but that he has great respect for people of faith.[60][61] In 2010, Clegg elaborated on this question, stating "I was asked... one of those questions where you're only allowed to answer "yes" or "no",... I was asked "Do you believe in God?" As it happens I do not know whether God exists. I'm much more of an agnostic."[62]

Clegg campaigning in Bournemouth

GQ magazine interview

Clegg's rocky start to the role was exacerbated in March 2008 when GQ magazine ran with an interview conducted by Piers Morgan in which Clegg admitted to sleeping with "no more than 30" women.[63] Senior Lib Dem MPs defended his comments; Lembit Opik said it showed "you can be a human being and a party leader", and Norman Lamb that "Nick tries to be absolutely straight in everything that he does, and that might sometimes get him into trouble but he will build a reputation for being honest and straightforward."[64] Speaking to the BBC about the interview Clegg said "wisdom with hindsight is an easy thing" as what had been a split second response had been "taken out of context, interpreted, over interpreted and so on".[65]

Relationships with the frontbench

Upon his election Clegg appointed leadership rival Chris Huhne as his replacement as Home Affairs spokesperson and following his strong performances as acting party leader, Vince Cable was retained as the main Treasury spokesperson. Media commentators noted that the Clegg-Huhne-Cable triumvirate provided the Liberal Democrats with an effective political team for the coming years.[66] On 5 March 2008 Clegg suffered a real test following the resignation of 3 of his front bench team. David Heath, Alistair Carmichael and Tim Farron had been told to abstain in the vote for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty but had wanted to vote in favour and so defied the whip. In addition to the three frontbenchers a further 12 more backbench Libdem MP's also defied the whip and voted "yes". Seen as an initial test to his authority Clegg said "though we have disagreed on this issue I fully understand and respect their strongly held views on the subject.... However, as they have recognised, the shadow cabinet cannot operate effectively unless the principle of collective responsibility is maintained."[67] The resignations happened not long after the Common's Speaker Michael Martin on 26 February 2008 had blocked calls by the Liberal Democrats for an "in or out" referendum on Britain's EU membership. The Speaker's authority was called into question when, led by Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrats marched out of the House of Commons, calling the Speaker's decision a constitutional "outrage". Just moments before, frontbench foreign affairs spokesman for the party Ed Davey had been expelled from the chamber by the Speaker's deputy Sir Michael Lord for further challenging the ruling.[68] In November 2008 Clegg suffered more allegations of difficulties with the front bench following an article in the Daily Mirror which reported that Clegg had criticised senior members of his front bench whilst on a plane journey.[69] He attempted to play down the report saying to the BBC's Politics Show that "a lot of it is, frankly, fiction".[70]

"I believe every single person is extraordinary. The tragedy is that we have a society where too many people never get to fulfil that extraordinary potential. My view – the liberal view – is that government’s job is to help them to do it. Not to tell people how to live their lives. But to make their choices possible, to release their potential, no matter who they are. The way to do that is to take power away from those who hoard it. To challenge vested interests. To break down privilege. To clear out the bottlenecks in our society that block opportunity and block progress. And so give everyone a chance to live the life they want."[71]

Liberal Democrat Manifesto Launch, 14 April 2010

Attitudes to other parties

In the Commons Clegg initially concentrated most of his fire on Labour and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, but in the autumn of 2009 began also focusing on Conservative leader David Cameron and the Conservatives.[72] Clegg rejected an appeal from Cameron for their two parties to work together.[73] Clegg argued that the Conservatives were totally different from his party, and that the Lib Dems were the true "progressives" in UK politics.[73] At the 2009 party conference in Bournemouth he accused the conservatives of "simply believing it is their turn" and claimed that come the election the "choice before people is the choice between fake, phoney change from David Cameron's Conservatives, and real change the Liberal Democrats offer".

Parliamentary Expenses

Clegg with David Cameron, and Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Chris Huhne.

Clegg became the first party leader in modern political history to call for a Speaker to resign following his handling of the expenses scandal, describing Michael Martin, the Speaker at the time, as a defender of the status quo and obstacle to the reform of Parliament.[18][74]

In response to revelations about MPs' expenses, Clegg set out his plans for reform of Parliament in The Guardian.[75] Speaking about the plans, he said: "let us bar the gates of Westminster and stop MPs leaving for their summer holidays until this crisis has been sorted out, and every nook and cranny of our political system has been reformed." He argued for the "reinvention of British politics" within 100 days, calling for a commitment to accept the Kelly expenses report in full; the power to recall members suspended for misconduct; House of Lords reform; reform of party funding; fixed term parliaments; enabling legislation for a referendum on AV+; and changes to House of Commons procedure to reduce executive power.[76]

Shortly ahead of the election, Clegg was asked about his own expenses by Andrew Neil of the BBC. Clegg allegedly claimed the full amount permissible under the Additional Cost Allowance, including claims for food, gardening and redecorating his second home. The Telegraph also said Clegg claimed £80 for international call charges, a claim he said he would repay.[77]

Policies

Clegg's platform for the Liberal Democrats has been to modernise the party at the same time as maintaining its traditions of political and philosophical Liberalism. Since becoming leader he has called for more choice for patients on waiting lists in the National Health Service (NHS), giving them the option to go private and to be funded by the NHS if they wish; a substantial tax cut in order to "put more money back into the pockets of people", better action on the environment, the abandonment of Britain's Trident missile defence system, fixed-term parliaments; devolving more power to local councils; giving constituents the power to force a by-election if their MP was found responsible for serious wrongdoing and a slimming of government across the board.[78] Clegg campaigned to cut spending on defence projects such as Eurofighter as well as the UK Trident programme.[79] In terms of public spending Clegg, at the party's 2009 conference in Bournemouth, argued that there needed to be "savage" spending cuts and said politicians need to treat voters "like grown ups" whilst accusing the Labour and Conservative parties of indulging in "childish games" over the "c-word".[80]

Gurkha campaign

Nick Clegg being presented a Gurkha Hat, by a Gurkha veteran during his Maidstone visit, to celebrate the success of their joint campaign for the right to live in Britain, 2009.

On 29 April 2009 a motion in the House of Commons by the Liberal Democrats that all Gurkhas be offered an equal right of residence resulted in a defeat for the Government by 267 votes to 246. It was the first, first day motion defeat for a government since 1978. On speaking about the result Clegg said "this is an immense victory [...] for the rights of Gurkhas who have been waiting so long for justice, a victory for Parliament, a victory for decency." He added that it was "the kind of thing people want this country to do".[81] On 21 May 2009, the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced that all Gurkha veterans who retired before 1997 with at least four years service would be allowed to settle in the UK. The actress and daughter of Gurkha corps major James Lumley, Joanna Lumley, who had highlighted the treatment of the Gurkhas and campaigned for their rights, commented: "This is the welcome we have always longed to give".[82]

Deputy Prime Minister (2010–)

Clegg became Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Lord President of the Council on 11 May 2010 through a coalition with the Conservative Party under Prime Minister David Cameron.[1][83][84] He has also been made Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform, which was a key point for the Liberal Democrats during the creation of the coalition and it will be his responsibility to work on this.

The Coalition Agreement

The morning after the 2010 General Election presented the country with no one political party able to form a government that would command a majority in the House of Commons. In light of this reality the Conservative leader David Cameron went public and gave “big, open and comprehensive offer” to the Lib Dem leader and that he wanted to open up negotiations with the Liberal Democrats to form Britain's first coalition government since the second world war. Replying Clegg said that he had always maintained that the party with the most seats and the most votes should have the right to seek to govern. Speaking to the press he said “It seems this morning that it is the Conservative Party which has more votes and more seats — although not an absolute majority — which is why I now think that it is the Conservative Party which should seek to govern in the national interest."[85] Following the announcement teams of negotiators from both parties formulated what would become the 'Coalition Agreement' which would form the basis of their partnership together.[86] Gordon Brown's resignation on 11 May 2010 meant that Cameron was invited by the Queen to form a government[87] and a coaltion with the Liberal Democrats was agreed with Nick Clegg as the Deputy Prime Minister.[88]

Plans for electoral reform

Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

On 5 July 2010 Clegg unveiled plans to have fewer MPs and to hold a referendum on the voting system so that the next General Election would be contested under the Alternative Vote system. In a statement, he said UK democracy was "fractured", with some votes counting more than others. As part of the statement he also changed initial plans requiring the number of MPs needed to vote to dissolve Parliament from 55% to 66%. The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill was presented to parliament on 22 July 2010 for its first reading which if successful would see the date of the referendum on changing the voting system from the current 'first past the post' system to the Alternative Vote (AV) system set for 5 May 2011.[89][90] The bill also introduced plans to reduce of MP's in the House of Commons from 650 to 600 something which the Labour party attacked as gerrymandering as in order to do this there would need to be boundary changes. Clegg told MPs: "Together, these proposals help correct the deep unfairness in the way we hold elections in this country. Under the current set-up, votes count more in some parts of the country than others, and millions feel that their votes don't count at all. Elections are won and lost in a small minority of seats. We have a fractured democracy, where some people's votes count and other people's votes don't count."[90] On 22 July 2010 the question for the referendum on AV was published asking voters if they wish to "adopt the 'alternative vote' system instead of the current 'first past the post' system" for electing MPs". The question would require a yes or no answer.[91] The Act received Royal Assent on 16 February 2011.

Fixed Term Parliaments Bill

Clegg also confirmed that the government planned to introduce legislation for five-year fixed term parliaments in the 'Fixed Term Parliaments bill' again presented to parliament on 22 July 2010. If plans were to get through Parliament, it would mean that the date of the next general election would be held on 7 May 2015.[92]

Prime Minister's Questions

On 21 July 2010, Clegg became the first Liberal Democrat leader to answer for Prime Minister's Questions.[93] He courted controversy during the exchange when at the despatch box he attacked the shadow justice secretary Jack Straw for the decision to invade Iraq saying "perhaps one day you could account for your role in the most disastrous decision of all, which is the illegal invasion of Iraq." Despite having long held views about the issue, the comment was controversial as it did not reflect the policy of the government which was that the legality of the war in Iraq was currently being studied by the Iraq inquiry.[94] Clegg next stepped in for prime minister's questions on 8 September 2010 following the news that David Cameron's father had taken very ill. Standing in for the Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman, Jack Straw, this time challenged Clegg on the allegations of phone hacking against Downing Street's director of communications Andy Coulson. Responding, Clegg claimed that the allegations dating from Coulson's time at the News of the World were a matter for the police to investigate.[95] On 10 November 2010, as David Cameron was making a trade visit to China, Clegg deputised for the third time meeting Harriet Harman across the despatch box. On a day that coincided with violent student protests against tuition fees in London, the Labour deputy leader chose the same subject to quiz Clegg on accusing him of a U-turn on pledges made before the election. Responding, Clegg accused Harman of trying to re-position the Labour party as the party of students when the party had previously campaigned against fees only to end up introducing them.[96]

Tuition fees

On 12 October 2010, a review by Lord Browne into future university funding set up by the previous Labour government was announced and its findings supported by Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat Business Secretary. The issue of student financing had been considered one of the flagship policies of the Liberal Democrats with all of the party's MPs, including Nick Clegg, signing the Vote for Students pledge to oppose any increase in student tuition fees prior to the election.[97] The Browne Review however recommended that the present cap on student fees be lifted, potentially paving the way for universities to charge much higher fees in the future.[98] Although as part of the coalition agreement the Lib Dems had gained the right to abstain on any vote relating to the increase of tuition fees, a number of the party's MPs, including former leader Sir Menzies Campbell, said that they would have to oppose any potential rise. Clegg himself said that he would "understand" if any of his MPs felt that they could not back the review but urged them to look at all the facts before making up their minds. Expecting a rebellion, Clegg also wrote to his MPs saying that he had "struggled endlessly" with the issue and said that departing from the pledge he had made prior to the election would be "one of the most difficult decisions of my political career". Defending recommendations of the review, Clegg said that poorer students would pay less and wealthier students would pay more. He also announced that the income level at which students needed to earn before beginning to pay off their student loan would rise from £15,000 to £21,000.[99] On 24 October 2010 Clegg told the BBC's Andrew Marr that despite the recommendations of the Browne review, the government was still considering its response. He told Marr that the government wanted to take the "best" from Browne in order to build a system that was fairer to poorer students but which would also give universities the funding boost they would need. During the interview Clegg also said that he regretted not been able to keep his pre-election pledge to scrap tuition fees but claimed that this was a result of the financial situation the country had found itself in. When pressed he also intimated that some form of cap on tuition fees would remain despite the recommendations of the report, which said that universities should be able to set their own fees.[100]

Student protests

On 10 November 2010 students staged a series of marches to demonstrate against the proposed increase in the rise in tuition fees. The demonstrations in London turned sour after a group of protesters attacked the Conservative party headquarters, smashing windows and eventually getting onto the roof. The National Union of Students, who had staged the protests, condemned the violence as "despicable" with union president Aaron Porter saying "this was not part of our plan".[101] Speaking about the protests Nick Clegg, who had come under particular attack from the students during the demonstrations, said that the violence had "been generated by a very small number of people who had behaved utterly unacceptably". He also said that he "regretted" signing a pledge to vote against tuition fees increase before the election and said "in politics just as in life, you sometimes discover there are things that you wanted to do that you are not able to do.... We have had to forge a different policy because of the compromises of coalition, because of the financial situation.... But I hope that when people look at the details of what we are doing, they will see it is really, and it lowers the burden on the vast majority of students".[102] On 24 November 2010 further protests from students took place with many students walking out of lessons to join the demonstration. Although the violence was not on the scale of the previous protest there were still 32 arrests with 17 people injured. Protesters in London had this time intended to demonstrate outside the Liberal Democrat headquarters with students once again accusing the party's leaders of promising to vote against any increase in fee rises. Speaking on Radio 2 Clegg said "I hate in politics, as in life, to make promises that you then find you can't keep. We made a promise we can't deliver—we didn't win the election outright and there are compromises in coalition". Universities minister David Willetts meanwhile said that the students seemed not to have understood the proposal on tuition fees saying "young people will be provided with the funds they need to meet whatever charges universities levy".[103]

Fairness premium

On 14 October 2010 Clegg delivered a speech at a school in Chesterfield, at which he announced the governments intention to spend £7 billion on a 'fairness premium' designed to see extra support going to the poorest pupils over the course of the parliament. Clegg claimed that the funds for the scheme would be "additional" to the current education budget and this view was backed up by a number 10 aide who when interviewed by the Guardian said "the money for this will come from outside the education budget. We're not just rearranging furniture – this is real new money from elsewhere in Whitehall."[104] The package announced would provide 15 hours a week free nursery education for the poorest two year olds and a 'pupil premium' which would be given to schools to help those pupils eligible for free school meals worth £2.5 billion a year.[105] The announcement by Clegg ensured that two elements of the government's 'Coalition Agreement' had been fulfilled, that of the promise to support free nursery care to pre-school children and that of funding a 'significant premium for disadvantaged pupils from outside the schools budget by reductions in spending elsewhere'.[106] For Clegg the announcement was an important one politically coming two days after the publication of the Browne Review into the future of university funding which signalled the reversal of the long cherished Liberal Democrat policy of opposing any increase in tuition fees.[107] The pupil premium announcement was important as it formed one of the four key 'priorities' on which the party had fought the last election.[108] On 20 October the plans for the 'fairness premium' were introduced by the Treasury as part of the spending review which said that the money would be introduced over the period of the review which "will support the poorest in the early years and at every stage of their education".[109]

Electoral performance and standing in the Polls

Standing in the polls

Since Clegg became leader, the polls have been mixed, though the Liberal Democrats occasionally poll above 20 points[110] averaging around 19%.[111] In May 2009, the party overtook Labour in an opinion poll (25% vs 22%) for the first time since the days of its predecessor, the SDP–Liberal Alliance, in 1987.[112] Clegg thus became the first Liberal Democrat leader to out-poll Labour in an opinion poll. After Clegg's performance in the first of three general election debates on 15 April 2010, there was an unprecedented surge of media attention and support for the Liberal Democrats in opinion polls. Comres reported the Liberal Democrats polled 24% on the day,[113] and on 20 April in a YouGov poll, the Liberal Democrats were on 34%, 1 point above the Conservatives, with Labour in third place on 28%.[114] Following the formation of the coalition support for the Liberal Democrats has reduced.[115] A poll on 8 December 2010, the eve of a House of Commons vote on changes in the funding of higher education, an opinion poll conducted by YouGov recorded voting intention figures of Conservatives 41%, Labour 41%, Other Parties 11% and Liberal Democrats 8%,[116] the lowest level of support recorded for the Liberal Democrats in any opinion poll since September 1990.[117]

Parliamentary by-elections

Five parliamentary by-elections have been held during Clegg's leadership prior to the 2010 General Election. At Crewe and Nantwich the party's share of the vote decreased by 4%. In the subsequent Henley by-election the party achieved a 1.8% increase in their vote. At the Norwich North by-election the party came third with a 2.2% fall in their vote share. In the two Scottish by-elections, Glenrothes and Glasgow East, saw decreases in the Liberal Democrat vote, 8% and 10% respectively.

Local elections

The local election results for the Liberal Democrats during the same period have been mixed. In the 2008 Local Elections the Liberal Democrats took second place with 25% of the vote making a net gain of 34 councillors and took control of Sheffield City Council,[118] but their share of the vote was down 1%. The next year the Liberal Democrats gained Bristol but lost both Somerset and Devon producing a net loss of councils and a net loss of one councillor.[119] The party however did increase its share of the vote by 3% to 28% beating the Labour Party into third place. In the European Parliament elections held on the same day, the Liberal Democrats gained a seat but had a slight decrease in their share of the vote, staying in 4th place compared to the previous European elections, behind the two main parties and UKIP.[120]

London Elections

In the 2008 London Assembly elections the Liberal Democrats were the only one of the three main parties to see a decrease in their share of the vote, and in the mayoral election the Liberal Democrat candidate Brian Paddick came third again with a decreased share of the vote.

2010 General Election

At the 2010 general election, the Liberal Democrats won 23% of the vote, an improvement of 1%, however they only won 57 seats, 5 fewer than in 2005. No political party had an overall majority, resulting in the nation's first hung parliament since February 1974.[121] Talks between David Cameron, the Conservative Party leader, and Clegg led to an agreed Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition, enabling the Queen to invite Cameron to form a government.

Personal life

Clegg with his wife Miriam holding their son Miguel on 23 February 2009

In 2000 Clegg married Miriam González Durántez, of Valladolid, Spain. They have three sons: Antonio, Alberto and Miguel,[122][123] who are being brought up bilingually in Spanish and English.[124] He has said that "The most important things in my life are my three young children: I’m besotted by them".[124] The family were affected by the air travel disruption caused by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull when the three brothers were grounded in Spain.[125] His wife is a Roman Catholic and they are bringing up their children as Catholics; nevertheless, Clegg has stated that he does not believe in God.[18][126] On 16 September 2010 during Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom, Clegg attended the State reception in the grounds of Holyrood Palace and was introduced to the Pope by Queen Elizabeth II.[127]

Clegg lives close to the Peak District and often walks with his wife near Stanage Edge, which he describes as "one of the most romantic places in the world".[128] He also has a house in Putney, South West London.[129] Downing Street has announced that Clegg and the Foreign Secretary William Hague will share use of Chevening, which is typically the official country residence of the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom.[130]

Clegg's wealth is estimated at £1.9 million.[131]

Styles

  • Nick Clegg Esq (1967–1999)
  • Nick Clegg Esq MEP (1999–2004)
  • Nick Clegg Esq (2004–2005)
  • Nick Clegg Esq MP (2005–2008)
  • The Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP (2008-)

See also

References

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Works

Books

  • Clegg, Nick (2000). Doing Less to Do More: A New Focus for the EU. Centre for European Reform. ISBN 978-1-901229-17-2. Extract
  • Brack, Duncan and Clegg, Nick (2001). Trading for the Future: Reforming the WTO. Centre for Reform. ISBN 978-1-902622-27-9.
  • Clegg, Nick (2002). "Restoring Legitimacy: Parliaments and the EU" in Ulrike Rüb (ed.) European governance: views from the UK on democracy, participation and policy-making in the EU, pp31–44. The Federal Trust for Education & Research. ISBN 978-1-903403-33-4.
  • Grayson, Richard and Clegg, Nick (2002). Learning from Europe: lessons in education.
  • Clegg, Nick (2009). The Liberal Moment. Demos. ISBN 978-1-906693-24-4.
  • Alexander, Danny with forward by Clegg Nick (2010), Why Vote Liberal Democrat?. Biteback. ISBN 978-1-849540-21-6.
  • Clegg, Nick (ed.) (2010). Change That Works for You: Liberal Democrat General Election Manifesto 2010: Building a Fairer Britain. Liberal Democrat Publications. ISBN 978-1-907046-19-3.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nick Clegg.
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