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Liberal Democrat Leader - Nick Clegg
December 18, 2007 6:00 PM
Nick Clegg
Well with the Liberal Democrat leadership election at the end of last year, instead of a Gordon Brown snap general election, we in the Liberal Democrats have a new leader. Now had our local MP Chris Huhne won this election the new leader would need no introduction, however with about just 1% more of the vote the winner was Chris's old MEP colleague Nick Clegg.
So just who is Nick Clegg :-
- Nick Clegg was born in 1967 in Buckinghamshire and studied at three universities: Cambridge, Minnesota and College D'Europe.
- Before entering the European Parliament Nick worked as a development aid and trade expert in the EU, managing aid projects in the former Soviet Union and overseeing negotiations for China and Russia to join the World Trade Organisation.
- In 1999 he was elected to the European Parliament, where as Trade and Industry spokesman for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe he led the move to open up the domestic telecoms market and advocated trade measures against illegally logged timber.
- He was a co-founder of the Campaign for Parliamentary Reform, which argues for more transparency and accountability in the European Parliament.
- Nick stood down from the European Parliament in 2004 and he was elected as MP for - Sheffield Hallam in 2005 with a majority of 8,682.
- Recently as Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Nick has spearheaded our defence of civil liberties, proposing a Freedom Bill to repeal unnecessary and illiberal legislation, campaigned against Identity Cards and the retention of innocent people's DNA, and argued against excessive counter-terrorism legislation.
- He also launched the successful "We Can Cut Crime" campaign and has campaigned for prison reform, a fair but firm approach to immigration and defended the Human Rights Act against ongoing attacks from across the political spectrum.
- And finally... Nick is an avid lover of the outdoors, an expert skier and keen mountaineer. He speaks five European languages, and is married to Miriam Gonzalez Durantez and has two young children.
Commenting on the election local councillor David Goodall said:-
"The Liberal Democrats are fortunate and unique among the three main major parties in British Politics to have a choice between two high quality candidates and this was reflected in the closeness on the result."
"Chris Huhne has done a magnificent job as Shadow Environment Secretary and I am sure he will have a key role in Nick Clegg's new front bench team. Nick will, of course, be a great leader well able to get the Liberal Democrat message across."
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