Facebook has hired former UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg as its new head of global affairs and communications.
Mr Clegg served as leader of the Liberal Democrats in the UK from 2010 to 2015 and has been a prominent voice in the Remain campaign on Brexit.
The 51-year-old lost his House of Commons seat at the last UK General Election.
He also spent time as an EU trade negotiator and a member of the European Parliament (MEP).
He is understood to be the most senior European politician to take up a senior executive role in Silicon Valley.
In a statement this afternoon, Mr Clegg said the move was “an exciting new adventure” although he admitted it was a wrench to be leaving the UK while the public debate on Brexit enters such a crucial phase.
“The key decisions will soon pass to Parliament, of which I am no longer a Member,” he said.
“And once I had decided to take up this unique new challenge at Facebook, I felt it was best to get going sooner rather than later.”
His appointment comes as Facebook is dealing with the fallout from the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, mass data breaches and the continuing proliferation of “fake news.”
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the Elysee Presidential Palace for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, 23-05-2018. Image: NurPhoto/SIPA USA/PA Images
The appointment was reportedly overseen by Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg alongside chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg and Mr Clegg said he has been, “struck by their recognition that the company is on a journey which brings new responsibilities not only to the users of Facebook’s apps but to society at large.”
“Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, Oculus and Instagram are at the heart of so many people’s everyday lives – but also at the heart of some of the most complex and difficult questions we face as a society,” he said.
“The privacy of the individual; the integrity of our democratic process; the tensions between local cultures and the global internet; the balance between free speech and prohibited content; the power and concerns around artificial intelligence; and the wellbeing of our children.”
“I believe that Facebook must continue to play a role in finding answers to those questions – not by acting alone in Silicon Valley, but by working with people, organizations, governments and regulators around the world to ensure that technology is a force for good.”
Welcoming the appointment, Ms Sandberg described the former politicians as a “thoughtful and gifted leader” who “understands deeply the responsibilities we have to people who use our service around the world.”
“Every day people use our apps to connect with family and friends and make a difference in their communities,” she said.
“If we can honour the trust they put in us and live up to our responsibilities, we can help more people use technology to do good.
“That’s what motivates our teams and from all my conversations with Nick, it’s clear that he believes in this as well.”
John Trickett at the Labour Party conference in Brighton, Sussex, 29-09-2015. Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Archive/PA Images
However, the British Labour Party has slammed the move as a “damning indictment of the sorry state” of UK politics.
“At a time when digital giants such as Facebook are rightly coming under public scrutiny, our former deputy prime minister has been hired to lobby on their behalf,” said the country’s shadow cabinet office minister John Trickett.
"Labour is committed to slamming shut the revolving door between politics and big business, which for too long has corroded public trust in politics."
