Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg visits campus

Credit: Ben Rathe
Credit: Ben Rathe

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg visited campus today as his party’s Spring Conference gets under way.

The Liberal Democrat leader was snapped at the York Sports Village on the Heslington East campus earlier this morning.

He met students and local residents as well as established clubs such as Clifton Cycling Club.

He was accompanied by sections of the media and the University’s security team who tweeted that they had “provided support to a VIP visiting the campus”.

Mr Clegg is in York for his party’s Spring Conference which got under way at the Barbican on Paragon Street yesterday evening.

He opened his conference by saying that the Liberal Democrats were the party of ‘in’ as he prepares for a TV debate on European Union membership with UKIP leader Nigel Farage next month.

His weekend conference is due to greeted by students from the University and members of the Trades Union Congress today who are protesting against what they describe as “destructive” austerity measures being imposed by the Coalition Government.

The University’s Liberal Democrats Society says that the party has had to make difficult decisions to clean up “Labour’s economic mess”.

The York Sports Village is a £9 million sports facility that was completed in August 2012.

It includes a fitness suite, steam rooms and a cafeteria, and was funded partly by the University, through grants from organisations such as Sport England and the local York City Council.

Future upgrades include a potential cycle and running track.