Nick Clegg gets bigger role at Facebook owner Meta

Former UK deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg has been promoted to a new senior role at Facebook's owner Meta.

A Facebook post from the company's boss Mark Zuckerberg said Sir Nick would become its president of global affairs.

The move puts the former Lib Dem leader on a par with Mr Zuckerberg himself at the recently-rebranded firm.

Sir Nick joined Facebook in 2018 as its head of its global affairs and communications team. His new role will see him focus on regulatory issues.

Mr Zuckerberg said Meta needed "a senior leader at the level of myself... who can lead and represent us for all of our policy issues globally".

Sir Nick, who served as deputy prime minister as part of the coalition government from 2010-2015, left politics after losing his Sheffield Hallam seat in the 2017 general election.

• Clegg: Facebook is 'barbecues and bar mitzvahs'

• Facebook hires former deputy PM Nick Clegg

• Facebook changes its name to Meta in major rebrand

At the time of his move to California, it was reported Mr Zuckerberg and chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg were personally involved in his recruitment, hoping to capitalise on his political experience in the face of increased scrutiny of the tech industry and their use of data.

Sir Nick has since spearheaded the establishment of Facebook's independent content oversight board, and recently defended the company against the accusations of whistleblower - and former employee - Frances Haugen, who claimed the social media site put profit before user safety.

His promotion comes ahead of the US midterm elections in November.

"Nick will now lead our company on all our policy matters, including how we interact with governments as they consider adopting new policies and regulations, as well as how we make the case publicly for our products and our work," Mr Zuckerberg wrote in his post.

Ms Sandberg said the new role came at "a crucial time for our company and our industry as new rules for the internet are written all over the world".

• 'WOMEN WERE BANNED': The story of beauty queen Lea Campos' fight to become a referee

• IN TUNE: An eclectic mix featuring classical favourites, lesser-known gems and a few surprises