London is home to over a million citizens of another EU country. The City is Europe’s biggest financial centre. Polls suggest Londoners will vote to remain in the EU, though outgoing mayor Boris Johnson is campaigning to leave. Could London thrive outside the EU? How much has London gained from Europe – and Europe gained from London? On Friday 29 April LSE BrexitVote hosted a public discussion on the issue. The panel included Lib Dem Europe spokesperson Baroness Ludford, Ben Judah (author of This is London: Life and Death in the World City), Christopher Bickerton and expert in European politics Julie Smith in a discussion chaired by Prof Tony Travers.

Listen:

On our panel

Baroness Ludford was MEP for London from 1999 until 2014. She is the Lib Dem spokesperson for Europe.

Ben Judah is the author of This is London: Life and Death in the World City (‘revelatory’ – FT; an eye-opening investigation into the hidden immigrant life of the city’ – Sunday Times; ‘an alternative and essential guide to London’ – Guardian)

Christopher Bickerton is University Lecturer in politics at the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge and an Official Fellow at Queens’ College, Cambridge. He is the author of the forthcoming Pelican Introduction The European Union: A Citizen’s Guide.

Julie Smith is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge and a Lib Dem member of the Lords. Her research focuses on the history and politics of European integration.

Tony Travers is director of LSE London and a Professor in the Department of Government. He is the author of London’s Boroughs at 50.

Photo of Tower Bridge: Adam Tas via a CC Attribution 2.0 Generic licence