Former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg buys £5million five-bedroom mansion in the most expensive postcode in the US as he starts high-powered new job at Facebook

Nick Clegg has bought a £7million home in California as he begins his high-powered new job at Facebook.

The ex-deputy prime minister purchased the five-bedroom property in December, records seen by the Daily Mail show, weeks before starting work full-time in the US.

The sprawling home near San Francisco, in what is said to be the most expensive postcode in America, was described by estate agents as a ‘jewel’ with ‘timeless and classic’ features alongside ‘luxurious amenities’.

Nick Clegg and his wife Miriam have bought this £7m home in Atherton, near San Francisco

The couple, pictured, have moved to the United States with their three sons, 16, 14 and nine

Atherton is reported to be in one of the most expensive zip codes in the United States 

The former Lib Dem leader, who lost his Sheffield Hallam seat at the 2015 general election, and his family can enjoy a roomy kitchen with marble worktops and an island seating area. There is also a separate dining room and library. A study fitted with wooden shelves looks on to the garden.

There is a hot tub, as well as a large patio with an open fire and a swimming pool with sunloungers. A guest house in the grounds comes with its own kitchen and lounge.

The home, in almost an acre of land, is bordered by manicured gardens and stands in a quiet tree-lined residential road. Sir Nick, 52, and his lawyer wife Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, 50, took out a sizeable mortgage on the property, which was built in 2009, publicly available documents reveal.

The couple have moved to America with their three sons, aged 16, 14 and nine, as he starts work as vice president of global affairs at Facebook. The property may well reflect his bumper pay packet, rumoured to be worth up to £7million including bonuses.

The luxury home features marble counters and a massive kitchen 

The house has an open fire in the back garden and sits on almost one acre of land

Sir Nick spent £6.88million on the property, despite keeping his townhouse in Putney, south-west London, which is thought to be worth £2million

Billionaire boss Mark Zuckerberg, 34, hired the former MP at a time when Facebook’s reputation is in tatters and governments across the world want web giants to be regulated.

His appointment in October was met with criticism, with some accusing him of hypocrisy having previously poured scorn on Facebook for paying too little tax. Less than three years ago he described its ‘messianic Californian new-worldy-touchy-feely culture’ as ‘a little grating’.

Yet his new house is in the Silicon Valley town of Atherton, home to the tech moguls he once chastised. Locals include Eric Schmidt, former chairman of Google; Facebook deputy Sheryl Sandberg is also said to live in the vicinity.

Atherton was last year named ‘the most expensive zip code in the country’ by Forbes magazine. The area is three miles from Facebook HQ in Menlo Park.

Sir Nick spent £6.88million on the property, despite keeping his townhouse in Putney, south-west London, which is thought to be worth £2million.

In an interview this month Miss Gonzalez Durantez said of the family’s move to the US: ‘California is the more European of all the states. They are constantly looking to the future.’ This week she shared a picture on Instagram of a trip to the beach, writing: ‘It could be Dorset but it is the Pacific.’

Facebook declined to comment.