Philippe Legrain

in Svenska Dagbladet, here

What proportion of women with children (of school age) in Britain are in paid work? Is it: a) half; b) one quarter; c) three quarters; or d) two thirds? Stumped? Try this one. How many children are estimated to be working in the United Kingdom? Is it: a) 8 million; b) 5 million; c) 1 [...]

I was in Stockholm earlier this week speaking at a conference organised by Sweden's Globalisation Council, making the case for open borders in front of an audience including the country's immigration minister, the head of its trade-union federation and the deputy head of its employers federation. I have also written a paper for the Council [...]

Gina Miller reviews Immigrants: Legrain holds the moral upper hand, while his economic arguments are sound. This is not new territory, but it is eloquently argued and, one hopes, will one day be a majority opinion. Thank you.

The government famously forecast a trickle, opponents (less memorably) a flood, yet recent years have instead seen a steady stream of Polish plumbers, builders and other handy migrants. They have helped fuel Britain’s recent boom, providing the manpower to build new housing and do up old, making home improvements affordable for the less well-off, and [...]

As a politics junkie, I find the US presidential race exciting – certainly better than Gordon Brown’s ignominious coronation – but not particularly inspiring. I’m not wild about any of the candidates. I find Hillary Clinton uninspiring: a robotic, machine candidate, with a nasty streak and an offputting sense of entitlement. That’s a pity. Her [...]