Nick Clegg sparks Westminster panic as ministers hunt for 'Facebook spies' leaking secrets to him

Nick Clegg is facing scrutiny over a Whitehall leak inquiry, as ministers have raised concerns that he was receiving secret information about government plans to regulate Facebook.

The Former Deputy Prime Minister has landed a significant role at the tech giant as the President of Global Affairs.

The role will involve Mr Clegg lobbying against tough new sanctions from the government that could affect its business.

Whitehall officials have launched a hunt for a suspected mole, amid fears that the former leader of the Liberal Democrats has received sensitive details about what is being planned.

Sir Nick is said to have cited classified information in a Zoom call with government officials in June 2020.

Fears have been amplified following reports mentioning a 'tech industry executive who has seen the proposals' which should have only been shared among a group of senior aides.

Officials fear Sir Nick has been able to gather information through a possible contact he has retained from his time working in the government.

Despite this, a spokesperson for Facebook, now called Meta, strongly denied claims Mr Clegg had sought information from the government, describing the claims as "absurd and false".

The search for the Whitehall mole is expected to span over several departments, including the Treasury, Foreign Office and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

A security source said: "We don't know if Clegg himself is getting this information, or the company has other sources, but they seem to know what we are up to almost before we do".

The government is believed to be looking to impose several new forms of legislation on the social media giant, including the amount of tax it pays, the responsibility for the content it carries, and whether it should pay news organisations for using their stories.

Ministers have passed around confidential letters called 'write-rounds,' with potential reforms outlined on them.

The 'write-rounds' have been passed around by ministers' officials, as they look to agree on new laws for the website that was initially set up by Mark Zuckerberg.

A Meta spokesperson said: "Any insinuation or suggestion that due to Nick Clegg's previous role in Government he is now seeking or soliciting documents from officials is absurd and false.

'We are not aware of any inquiry into this issue by the Government and that is a matter for them.

'As for the alleged content of a Zoom call involving Nick Clegg in June 2020, we have no idea what this is specifically referring to and would need more substantiated detail to respond in full".