<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The Liberal Democrats (often referred to as the Lib Dems) are a liberal political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 as a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), a splinter group from the Labour Party . The two parties had formed the SDP--Liberal Alliance for seven years before this . </P> <P> At the 2010 general election, led by Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrats won 57 seats, making them the third - largest party in the House of Commons, behind the Conservatives with 306 and Labour with 258 . With no party having an overall majority, the Lib Dems agreed to join a coalition government with the Conservatives, with Clegg becoming Deputy Prime Minister and other party members taking up ministerial positions . </P>

What is the definition of a liberal democrat
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