Nick Clegg - his background

5.00.00pm GMT Tue 18th Dec 2007

Nick Clegg MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats

Nick Clegg was born in 1967 in Buckinghamshire and studied at three universities: Cambridge, Minnesota and College D'Europe.

Nick worked as a development aid and trade expert in the European Union, including managing aid projects in the poorest parts of the former Soviet Union and overseeing the EU's side in negotiations for China and Russia to join the World Trade Organisation.

He was elected as a member of the European Parliament in 1999, 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, allowing consumers to pick their telephone provider for the first time and advocated trade measures against illegally logged timber.

He was a co-founder of the Campaign for Parliamentary Reform, which argued 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. Charles Kennedy appointed him as Europe spokesman, acting as deputy to Sir Menzies Campbell. When Campbell won the 2006 leadership election, he appointed Nick as Shadow Home Secretary.

Nick has spearheaded the Liberal Democrats' defence of civil liberties, proposing a Freedom Bill to repeal unnecessary and illiberal legislation, 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 fair but firm approach to immigration and defended the Human Rights Act against ongoing attacks from across the political spectrum.

In January 2007 he launched the Liberal Democrats' We Can Cut Crime campaign, widely welcomed by local campaigners as a new and successful way for the party to campaign effectively on crime.

Nick is married to Miriam Gonzalez Durantez and has two young children.