History: The Liberal Democrat Party was formed on 2 March 1988 following a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party and has become the third most popular party in the UK, behind the Labour Party and the Conservative Party. Since the party’s formation the number of Liberal Democrat candidates elected to be MPs has consistently increased in every General Election. The Liberal Democrats are seen to promote social liberalism.
Leader: Nick Clegg is the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam and became leader of the Liberal Democrats in December 2007. Clegg was first elected as an MP and was the party’s Home Affairs Spokesman for two years. Prior to this Clegg worked for the European Commission and was elected as an MEP for the East Midlands region in 1999. In his acceptance speech upon winning the leadership contest, Clegg declared himself to be "a liberal by temperament, by instinct and by upbringing".
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