Nick Clegg | |
---|---|
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
In office 12 May 2010 – 8 May 2015 | |
Prime Minister | David Cameron |
Preceded by | John Prescott[a] |
Succeeded by | Dominic Raab[b] |
Lord President of the Council | |
Prime Minister | David Cameron |
Preceded by | The Lord Mandelson |
Succeeded by | Chris Grayling |
Nick Clegg served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2015 under the coalition administration with David Cameron. He was associated with both socially liberal and economically liberal policies, and supported reduced taxes, electoral reform, cuts on defence spending and an increased focus on environmental issues.
As a result of the 2010 general election, Clegg's Liberal Democrats found themselves with 57 seats in the House of Commons. The Conservative Party, which failed to receive a majority, formed a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, and Clegg was appointed by David Cameron to serve as his Deputy Prime Minister. In this capacity, he became the first leader of the Liberal Democrats to answer for the Prime Minister's Questions, and used his influence in the position to pass the Fixed-term Parliaments Act.[1] Controversy arose during this time surrounding the Liberal Democrats' decision to abandon their pledge to oppose increases in tuition fees, which had previously been a key issue that won the party support from students.[2]
During the party's time in coalition, the Liberal Democrats saw a significant drop in support,[3] and the 2015 general election left the party with just 8 seats, which resulted in Clegg's ousting as Deputy Prime Minister and his resignation as party leader.[4][5]
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