Clegg, Nick (1967-…), a British politician, served as leader of the Liberal Democrats from December 2007 to May 2015. The Liberal Democrats are a center-left political party in the United Kingdom. In May 2010, the Liberal Democrats joined with the Conservative Party to form a coalition (partnership) government. Conservative leader David Cameron became prime minister of the United Kingdom, and Clegg became deputy prime minister. Clegg served as deputy prime minister until 2015, when the coalition ended. Clegg served as a member of the British House of Commons from 2005 to 2017.
Nicholas William Peter Clegg was born in Chalfont St Giles, England, on Jan. 7, 1967. Clegg attended Westminster School in London. He graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1989. Clegg continued his studies at the University of Minnesota in the United States and the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.
Clegg has an international background and speaks several languages. His mother is Dutch, his father is English and Russian, and his wife is Spanish.
Clegg worked for the European Commission from 1994 to 1999. The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union. He represented the East Midlands, a region of England, in the European Parliament from 1999 to 2004. In 2005, Clegg won election to the British House of Commons, representing the Sheffield Hallam constituency (district). As a member of the House of Commons, Clegg served not only as deputy prime minister but also as a Liberal Democratic spokesperson on Europe, spokesperson on foreign affairs, and shadow home secretary.
Clegg was elected Liberal Democratic leader in 2007. As party leader, he emphasized the protection of civil liberties and the environment. In foreign policy, he supported close international cooperation, especially with the European Union, and the pursuit of humanitarian goals. Clegg resigned as leader of the Liberal Democrats after a general election in May 2015. In the election, the Liberal Democrats lost most of their seats in the House of Commons. Clegg left Parliament in 2017. In 2018, he became an executive for Facebook, Inc. (now called Meta Platforms, Inc.), a social media company.
