The UK’s Guardian newspaper reported the possibility of a new political party being formed in Spain, occupying the middle ground of politics and led by Miriam González Durántez, the wife of former British politician, and one time Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.
A lawyer and former EU foreign adviser, Ms González Durántez (now Lady Clegg) saw a gap opening up in Spanish politics following the collapse of the centre-liberal party Ciudadanos in the early 2020s. The newspaper understands that she engaged in talks with the Renew grouping of liberal parties in Europe earlier this summer, with a view to launching a party that aims to re-energise the political centre – not just in Spain but also in the EU.
In 2023, Ms González Durántez founded España Mejor (Better Spain), a non-profit political organisation which aimed to encourage Spanish civil society to take a greater role in the development of public policy. Among Better Spain’s goals were a new water policy, a “realistic” housing policy, more and better jobs, tax proposals for young people, a tax policy “for everyone to grow”, and the elimination of certain legal privileges. Some people, suggests the Guardian, might see this as “the bones of a (political) manifesto”.
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Picture above: The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, giving accounts to Congress, October 2018. Source: http://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/multimedia/galeriasfotograficas/presidente/Paginas/2018/101018sanchezcongreso.aspx