Nick Clegg given annual allowance of £115,000

Nick Clegg is the former deputy-prime minister, one-time leader of Liberal Democrats and now apparently the grateful recipient of a mammoth annual allowance.

The Sunday Times revealed that Clegg has been given access to a grant that is usually only given to former prime ministers.

It was also reported that of the £115,000, Clegg took a staggering £101,911 in 2015-2016.

This 'public duty cost allowance' is supposed to help former premiers deals with the costs involved with public duties, but that still leaves the question as to why it has been awarded to Clegg, who was never prime minister.

A spokesman for the Cabinet Office told the Sunday Times: "It was agreed Mr Clegg should be paid (the allowance) for a short period after leaving office to help with some of the necessary costs and secretariat support associated with being in such a senior position in public life."

Given that the average UK salary for 2015/2016 was £27,600 this means that Mr Clegg is allowed to take around four times the national average if he wants.

According to the Mail Online the former Lib Dem leader has also been earning money from speaking engagements, including a whopping £22,000 from PespiCo.

Clegg stepped back into the spotlight recently as he was announced as the Liberal Democrats' EU spokesman.

Having backed the Remain campaign before the EU Referendum, he commented on the outcome, saying: "Will we be in the single market or cut off from it, with all the implications that has for British jobs and our economy?

"What does it mean for immigration? What about the Brits who live abroad and the Europeans who have made our country their home?"

Clegg is the MP for Sheffield Hallam and stood down as leader of the Liberal Democrats after the General Election in 2015 when the party lost 49 of their 57 seats.