Nick Clegg to charge £40000 to give speeches around the world

Former Deputy Prime Minister has been listed on American website
Agency suggested Clegg would speak in the US and Europe for £40,000
His biography boasts that the ex-Lib Dem leader can speak five languages

Matt Chorley, Political Editor for MailOnline

Published:
12:18 GMT, 23 July 2015

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Updated:
12:27 GMT, 23 July 2015

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Defeated Lib Dem Nick Clegg is to charge up to £40,000 to deliver speeches on his political rise and dramatic fall, it emerged today.

The former Deputy Prime Minister, who quit after his party’s dramatic collapse in May’s general election has been listed alongside the likes of Al Murray, Mitt Romney and Rebecca Adlington on a website of speakers for hire.

It suggested he was available in Europe or America for a fee of up to $55,000 or £40,000.

Defeated Lib Dem Nick Clegg is to charge up to £40,000 to deliver speeches on his political rise and dramatic fall

Mr Clegg led the Lib Dems for almost eight years, taking them into government for the first time – a decision which triggered a slump in their support.

As the scale of the Lib Dem bloodbath emerged, Mr Clegg quit as leader on May 8 admitting his party had suffered a ‘cruel and punishing night’.

But he remains one of just eight Lib Dem MPs who survived the drubbing, and has vowed to remain in the Commons.

Now a listing has appeared on the Leading Authorities website, which boasts that it is ‘at the forefront of the global events industry, providing organizations from around the world with the thought leadership, innovation, relevant technology, and expertise required to produce best-of-class events’.

According to the website earlier today, Mr Clegg was available for a fee of between $30,000 and $55,000 but the fees listing has since been amended to read ‘please inquire’.

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As the scale of the Lib Dem bloodbath emerged, Mr Clegg quit as leader on May 8 admitting his party had suffered a ‘cruel and punishing night’

Unsurprisingly, Mr Clegg’s official biography focuses more on his successes that his crushing election defeat in May this year.

It states: ‘In his first general election as Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg challenged David Cameron and Gordon Brown in the country’s first televised Leader’s Debates, which led to the largest popular vote for the Liberal Democrats since the party was formed.

‘The election resulted in a hung parliament and Nick Clegg led his party into Government for the first time in its modern history in a coalition with the Conservatives.

‘He stood down as Leader of the Liberal Democrats five years later after the party’s defeat at the 2015 General Election.

‘As Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg occupied the second highest office in the country at a time when the United Kingdom was recovering from a deep recession following the banking crisis of 2008.

‘Despite the hugely controversial decisions needed to restore stability to the public finances, Nick Clegg successfully maintained his party’s support for a full five-year term of office.’

A spokesperson for Nick Clegg said: ‘Like all former leaders, Nick Clegg gets lots of invitations to speak at various events and recently took on an agent to manage these invitations. However, he was not aware of, and did not authorise, being listed in this way on a US site.’