Philippe Legrain

Are immigrants stealing 'British' jobs?

In response to a "life-swap" television programme made by Today presenter Evan Davis that will be shown on BBC 1 tonight, I debated how immigrant workers are affecting the UK with Frank Field MP on BBC Radio 4's flagship news programme, Today. Listen to it here

Iconoclasts: Why we should abolish immigration controls

On September 16 I appeared on BBC Radio 4's Iconoclasts programme to make the case for abolishing immigration controls.

Listen here: Download Radio4-part1 Download Radio4-part2

Why Britain should be buying food from Brazil not trying to grow it all itself

The British government argues that the country needs to try to become more self-sufficient in food. I debated the issue with Peter Kendall, the head of the National Farmers Union, on BBC Newsnight.

Interview with Chris Laidlaw on Radio New Zealand

Listen to it here.

Frost over the World Interview on Immigration

I was interviewed on Frost over the World on 20 February. They won't be making a film about the interview, but it was a great opportunity to meet a living icon.

Spanish video review of Inmigrantes

From NCI, Noticias culturales iberoamericanas. Gracias.

Debating the Lords report with Robert Skidelsky

Does immigration benefit Britain? [Updated]

I debated this with Andrew Green of MigrationWatch on Radio 4's World at One programme on Thursday 27 March. Unfortunately, my contribution to the pre-recorded discussion was severely cut, so that many of the important points I made went unsaid, while Green was allowed to speak at length.

UPDATE: The BBC have very kindly published an extended version of the interview. Listen here

Interviewed on Little Atoms [Updated]

I was a guest on Little Atoms on Friday 18 January. It is a show about ideas on London's Resonance 104.4 FM.

This great radio show's motto is George Orwell's remark that "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear".

You can listen to my interview here.

Is Britain full up? Part 2

I debated the issue of Britain's population is unsustainably large with Crispin Tickell on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning. Listen to it here.

Is Britain full up?

The Office of National Statistics forecasts that Britain's population will reach 70 million by 2030, with half of the 10 million rise due to migration. If this forecast proves to be correct, is it a bad thing? I debated this on Channel 4 News:

Denmark needs talented foreigners

My keynote speech at the Confederation of Danish Industries' annual business summit in Copenhagen last week:

Denmark needs all kinds of immigrants

I made the case for why Denmark needs more immigrants on Deadline, which is a bit like BBC Newsnight. The interview is in English with Danish subtitles.

Interview on Leonard Lopate show

I was interviewed on WNYC radio by Leonard Lopate, a conversation that I very much enjoyed. Listen here.

Carnegie Council speech

The speech I gave at the Carnegie Council in New York focuses on the ethics of the immigration debate. Listen here.

The Panel on RTE2

I appeared on The Panel, a comedy and current affairs show on Ireland's RTE 2, on 2 May. The video is 14 mins long, so it is split into two parts on YouTube.

Interviewed by Margaret Throsby

When I was last in Australia in February, I appeared on ABC's Mornings with Margaret Throsby, a radio interview show interspersed with my favourite pieces of classical music. I just found the recording today, so I'm putting it up now. It's a much more relaxed and broad-ranging interview than most. Listen to it here

On (Claire) Fox News

I was on Claire Fox News on 18 Doughty Street TV this evening discussing immigration with Claire Fox of the Institute of Ideas, Nathalie Rothschild of Spiked and John Fitzpatrick of the University of Kent. Watch it here

Debating immigration on Radio 4's PM programme

With Liam Byrne, Britain's immigration minister, warning of the risks of "uncontrolled immigration" and singing the praises of the government's proposal for a new Australian-style immigration points system, I went head-to-head on BBC Radio 4's PM programme with David Conway of Civitas, who claims that immigrants are quite literally a plague on British society. Listen here

The Moral Maze

I appeared as a "witness" on BBC Radio 4's Moral Maze last week. The topic was what to do about asylum seekers whose claims have been rejected, but are living in the UK destitute and without the right to work.

Should we worry that foreign companies are taking over British ones?

On the day that India's Tata won a bidding war for Corus, the Anglo-Dutch steelmaker that was once British Steel, I debated whether such foreign takeovers of British companies are a good thing with Will Hutton of the Work Foundation on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Listen here

Debating immigration on BBC Radio 4's Today programme

I debated immigration with Labour MP Frank Field on the Today programme (16 January). Unfortunately, the discussion got bogged down in statistics so I didn't have time to discuss the broader issues. Listen here

Debating immigration on BBC Radio 3's Nightwaves

I was again debating immigration with Andrew Green of anti-immigration lobby group Migrationwatch on Nightwaves, BBC 3's flagship culture and ideas show last night.

Are immigrants changing London for better or worse?

As part of a series on BBC1's London news about people who have left the capital, BBC London interviewed Londoners who had emigrated to Cyprus because they felt there were too many foreigners in the capital. I then debated whether the rising number of immigrants in London was a good or bad thing with George Walden, the former Conservative minister and author of "Time to Emigrate?":

Interviewed about immigration on the Simon Mayo show on BBC Radio Five Live

I was a guest on the Simon Mayo show on BBC Radio Five Live on 4 January, talking about my new book.

Does immigration benefit Britain?

Anti-immigration lobby group Migrationwatch has produced a narrow and misleading report claiming that immigration barely benefits Britain. BBC Newsnight asked me to produce a clip setting the record straight. This was followed by a studio discussion on 3 January led by Gavin Esler with Andrew Green of Migrationwatch, Damian Green, the Conservatives' spokesman on immigration, and Ann Cryer, the anti-immigration Labour MP.

A not-so-warm welcome to the EU for Bulgaria and Romania

Happy New Year!

War on Want are wrong to claim Bangladeshi garment workers are exploited

War on Want, a British lobby group, on Friday launched a campaign against Primark, Tesco and Asda for selling cheap clothes made by Bangladeshi workers whom the lobby group claim are exploited because they "regularly work 80 hours a week for just 5p an hour".

I debated the charge that such "sweatshops" are harming Bangladeshi workers in a debate with John Hilary of War on Want on BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine show: Listen here

How best to tackle global poverty?

Discussing debt relief and third world development with Noreena Hertz on the Today Programme. Listen here

Fox News: Who's 'zooming' who? Europe or the US?

HARDtalk: Is the anti-globalisation movement wrong?

On BBC News 24's HARDtalk tonight (Friday 13 December), Allan Little interviews Philippe Legrain, economist.

Globalisation is, to many, the issue of our age. More trade means more wealth creation and greater prosperity for rich and poor alike, its supporters say.

Why then after a decade of radical liberalisation is so much of the world sinking into deeper poverty while the rich nations get steadily richer?

And why does the anti-globalisation movement seem to have ignited the passion of so many, especially the young?

Philippe Legrain is an evangelist for globalisation. He is an economist and a former special advisor to the World Trade Organisation. He talks to Allan Little.