Nick Clegg writing candid new book lifting the lid on his time as Deputy Prime Minister

Politics: The Art of the Possible in an Age of Unreason will be released by publishers The Bodley Head in 2016.

Its editorial director Will Hammond said the book will describe the inner working of Downing Street as well as the dramatic shift in the political landscape that’s seen the rise of outside figures.

He said: “Nick Clegg is uniquely well placed to describe the inner workings of Downing Street and Westminster while maintaining a dispassionate distance from our current government and opposition.

“More than an illuminating insider’s account, though, the book will use those experiences to explain why politics has changed so dramatically in recent years, what has been lost in the process and what might be done to address this lack.”

The former Liberal Democrat leader and Sheffield Hallam MP decided to put pen to paper to examine the state of British politics, and will draw on frank stories and observations from his time at the ‘top and the bottom of the political ladder’.

Nationalism, populism and identity politics will also feature as well as his own journey - from his spectacular rise to national prominence at the 2010 General Election to his experience in Government and catastrophic defeat in 2015, which has left the Lib Dems with just eight MPs.

Politics, will be an eagerly anticipated offering from Mr Clegg, who has pledged to help his party fight for Britain to remain in the EU in the forthcoming referendum.

While he’s refrained from delivering a ‘tell-all’ expose on his time in Coalition so far, among political circles there’s hope it will illuminate his personal experience of working with David Cameron and George Osborne.