Liam James Halligan (born 29 April 1969) is a British economist, journalist, author and broadcaster. He was economics and business editor at

GB News GB News is a British free-to-air television and radio news channel. The channel is available on Freeview, Freesat, Sky, YouView, Virgin Media and via the internet. Since 4 January 2022, an audio simulcast of the station is available on DAB+ ra ...

from its launch in June 2021 to June 2024. Since 2003, Halligan has written a weekly column in ''

The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', kn ...

''. He also presents ''The Telegraph''s weekly ''Planet Normal'' podcast.

Early life and education

Halligan was born to an Irish family and grew up in

Kingsbury Kingsbury may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Kingsbury, London, a district of northwest London in the borough of Brent ** Kingsbury tube station, London Underground station * Kingsbury, Warwickshire, a village and civil parish in Warwickshi ...

, London. Halligan attended the

John Lyon School ("May the fortune of the house stand") , established = 1876 , closed = , type = Public School Independent Day School , religion = , president = , head_l ...

on a scholarship, where he became

head boy Head boy and head girl are student leadership roles in schools, representing the school's entire student body. They are normally the most senior prefects in the school. The terms are commonly used in the British education system as well as in Aus ...

. The first person in his family to attend university, he graduated with a first-class degree in

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

from the

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...

and went on to gain an

MPhil The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...

in economics from

St Antony's College, Oxford St Antony's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1950 as the result of the gift of French merchant Sir Antonin Besse of Aden, St Antony's specialises in international relations, economic ...

Career

Economics and policy

In 1992, following graduation, Halligan joined his former university tutor

Robert Skidelsky Robert Jacob Alexander, Baron Skidelsky, (born 25 April 1939) is a British economic historian. He is the author of a three-volume award-winning biography of British economist John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946). Skidelsky read history at Jesus C ...

at The Social Market Foundation, the Westminster-based

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

. He later worked at the

International Food Policy Research Institute The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is an international agricultural research center founded in the early 1970s to improve the understanding of national agricultural and food policies to promote the adoption of innovations ...

and in the Fiscal Affairs Department at the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, USA, as a research economist. In 1994, Halligan joined the

Centre for Economic Performance The Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) is an interdisciplinary research centre at the London School of Economics dedicated to the study of economic growth and effective ways to create a fair, inclusive and sustainable society. Currently led by ...

at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

and moved to Moscow. In Moscow he shared a flat with

Dominic Cummings Dominic Mckenzie Cummings (born 25 November 1971) is a British political strategist who served as Chief Adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson from 24 July 2019 until Cummings resigned on 13 November 2020. From 2007 to 2014, he was a ...

. Together with other economists from LSE, Oxford and Harvard, he co-founded ''Russian Economic Trends'', an academic journal that published macroeconomic data, analysis and commentary on Russia. He also helped to establish the Russian-European Centre for Economic Policy, an inter-governmental policy advisory group. Since 1997, Halligan has sat on the Policy Advisory Board of The Social Market Foundation. In 2010, he became a founder member of the Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE), an ESRC-funded research centre at the

. In 2017, Halligan was invited to join an expert advisory committee at the

Department for International Trade The Department for International Trade (DIT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's Government responsible for striking and extending trade agreements between the U ...

. He has also testified before a number of

Parliamentary committees A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

. In April 2020, he called for the Government to build more social housing. In February 2021, he appeared before the Lords Economic Affairs Select Committee on

quantitative easing Quantitative easing (QE) is a monetary policy action whereby a central bank purchases predetermined amounts of government bonds or other financial assets in order to stimulate economic activity. Quantitative easing is a novel form of monetary pol ...

. In 2019, he published ''Home Truths'', which argues that the UK's housing shortage deprives vulnerable families of decent social housing. In 2020, he was shortlisted by the Government for the post of Downing Street TV Press Secretary.

Journalism

In the early 1990s, Halligan wrote a weekly column for ''

The Moscow Times ''The Moscow Times'' is an independent English-language and Russian-language online newspaper. It was in print in Russia from 1992 until 2017 and was distributed free of charge at places frequented by English-speaking tourists and expatriates s ...

'' and covered Russian economics and politics for ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

'' and

The Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) is the research and analysis division of the Economist Group, providing forecasting and advisory services through research and analysis, such as monthly country reports, five-year country economic forecasts, ...

. He also wrote about the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

for ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' and ''

Euromoney ''Euromoney'' is an English-language monthly magazine focused on business and finance. First published in 1969, it is the flagship production of Euromoney Institutional Investor plc. History and profile ''Euromoney'' was first published in 19 ...

''. In 1996, Halligan was appointed political correspondent at the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

''. He covered the 1997 general election and

Good Friday Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA), or Belfast Agreement ( ga, Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta or ; Ulster-Scots: or ), is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April 1998 that ended most of the violence of The Troubles, a political conflict in No ...

as part of a team led by political editor

Robert Peston Robert James Kenneth Peston (born 25 April 1960) is an English journalist, presenter, and author. He is the political editor of ITV News and host of the weekly political discussion show '' Peston'' (previously '' Peston on Sunday''). From 2006 ...

. He went on to become economics correspondent at ''

Channel 4 News ''Channel 4 News'' is the main news programme on British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since Channel 4's launch in November 1982. Current productions ''Channel 4 News'' ''Channel 4 News'' ...

'', where he remained until 2006. From 1999 to 2002, while at ''Channel 4 News'', Halligan wrote a weekly economics column for ''

Sunday Business ''Sunday Business'' was a national Sunday broadsheet financial newspaper published in the United Kingdom, which ran from 1996 to 2006, when it was turned into a magazine called '' The Business''. History The newspaper was founded by Tom Rubyth ...

'' before moving his column to ''

''. In 2006, he was appointed economics editor at ''The Sunday Telegraph''. From 2008 to 2010, he wrote a monthly column for '' GQ''. Halligan was a founding panellist on the daily television discussion show ''CNN Talk''. He was a regular panellist on ''This Week'', presented by

Andrew Neil Andrew Ferguson Neil (born 21 May 1949) is a Scottish former journalist and broadcaster who is chairman of ''The Spectator'' and presenter of '' The Andrew Neil Show'' on Channel 4. He was editor of ''The Sunday Times'' from 1983 to 1994. He f ...

. When the BBC axed the programme in 2019, Halligan said the corporation had made a "blindingly obvious mistake". Since 2004, he has also regularly presented standalone documentaries on Channel 4, including for '' Dispatches'', and sits on the jury of the

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

's Specialist Journalist award. In March 2021, Halligan was named as economics and business editor at GB News and co-presenter of a daily lunchtime show with former Labour Party MP

Gloria De Piero Gloria De Piero (born 21 December 1972) is a British television and radio presenter, and former Labour Party politician. Prior to her political career, she was the political editor of GMTV. A member of the Labour Party, she was first elect ...

. From September 2021 to September 2022, Halligan presented his own show on GB News, ''On The Money'', which ran for an hour every weekday and focused on financial topics. On 1 September 2022, it was announced that the show was to be axed, with Halligan having an increased presence on other GB News programmes, centering around the Cost of living crisis. In June 2024, Halligan departed GB News. Halligan has also written for ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'', ''

Prospect Prospect may refer to: General * Prospect (marketing), a marketing term describing a potential customer * Prospect (sports), any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team * Prospect (mining ...

'', and

UnHerd ''UnHerd'' is a British news and opinion website founded in July 2017. Content ''UnHerd'' was founded in 2017 by conservative British political activist Tim Montgomerie, who also acted as editor. Following Montgomerie's departure in September ...

. He also writes for ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' and '' The Sun''. He has presented shows on

LBC LBC (originally the London Broadcasting Company) is a British phone-in and talk radio station owned and operated by Global and based in its headquarters in London. It was the UK's first licensed commercial radio station, and began to broadcast ...

and

BBC Radio Five Live BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that broadcasts mainly news, sport, discussion, interviews and phone-ins. It is the principal BBC radio station covering sport in the United Kingdom, broadcast ...

Business

Between 2008 and 2013, Halligan was Chief Economist at Prosperity Capital Management, an institutional asset management focussed on the Soviet Union. Since 2014, Halligan has been a shareholder at

Bne IntelliNews bne IntelliNews, previously known as Business News Europe, is a business media company focusing on emerging markets. The company's name is stylized in all lower-case letters as "bne" and "IntelliNews" in its publications. The company primarily of ...

, where he is also Editor-at-Large.

Personal life

He lives with journalist and author Lucy Ward, and they have two daughters and one son together. Halligan is a citizen of both the UK and the Republic of Ireland. In 2012, he was invited to join the Global Irish Network, an advisory board of Irish nationals living outside

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. He is also a regular panellist at the Kilkenomics Festival. In 2016, he was appointed a Governor at John Lyon School. His hobbies include guitar, double bass, traditional Irish music, choral music, film, rowing, and sailing.

Recognition

As an individual

* 1998. Business Broadcaster of the Year. The Wincott Foundation Awards. * 2005. Business Broadcast Journalist of the Year.

World Leadership Forum The Leadership Forum (previously the World Leadership Forum, Ltd.) was a non-governmental organisation devoted to the development of leadership in a number of key areas including communication, education and policy, that operated from October 2000 ...

. * 2006. Business Broadcast Journalist of the Year.

. * 2007. Business Commentator of the Year.

British Press Awards The Press Awards, formerly the British Press Awards, is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism. History Established in 1962 by ''The People'' and '' World's Press News'', the first award ceremony for the then-named '' ...

. * 2007. Columnist of the Year. WorkWorld Media Award.

For output

* 1999. Programme of the Year – ''Channel 4 News'' (Economics and Business). The Industrial Society Awards. * 2002. UK Current Affairs Programme of the Year – ''Channel 4 News'' (Economics and Business). The Wincott Foundation Awards. * 2002. UK Current Affairs Programme of the Year – ''Channel 4 News'' (Economics and Business). WorkWorld Media Award. * 2007. UK Current Affairs Programme of the Year – ''Dispatches''. The Wincott Foundation Awards. * 2018. UK Current Affairs Programme of the Year – ''Dispatches''. The Wincott Foundation Awards.

Selected bibliography

* 2020. ''Groupthink, Brexit and the Future of the BBC''. Published in ''Is The BBC Still In Peril – And Does It Deserve To Be?'' Bite-Sized Books. * 2019. ''Home Truths: The UK’s Chronic Housing Shortage – How it Happened, Why it Matters and How to Solve It''. Biteback. * 2017. ''Clean Brexit: How to Make a Success of Leaving the European Union''. Biteback. (with

Gerard Lyons Gerard Patrick Lyons (born 31 March 1961) is a British economist. Biography Gerard Lyons belongs to an immigrant Irish Catholic family from Kilburn, North West London. Lyons attended St Mary's Primary School in Kilburn and Cardinal Vaughan M ...

) * 2012. ''Africa: The Last True investment Frontier''. Published in ''The EU and Africa''. Hurst & Co. * 2006. ''No Choice but Compulsion: Why We Should Be Forced To Save For Old Age''. Published in ''Defusing the Pension Time Bomb''. Stockholm Network. * 1998. ''Lessons from Attempted Macroeconomic Stabilisations in Russia''. Social Market Foundation/Centre for Transition Economies. (with Robert Skidelsky) * 1997. ''Investment Disincentives in Russia''. Communist Economies & Economic Transformation. (with Pavel Teplukhin) * 1997. ''Consumer Price Reforms & Safety Nets in Transition Economies''. Published in ''Fiscal Policy and Economic Reform: Essays in Honor of Vito Tanzi, Blejer M. & T. Ter-Minassian''. Routledge (with Ehtisham Ahmad) * 1995. ''Russia's New Parliament: A Business Analysis''. Economist Intelligence Unit. * 1994. ''Europe Isn’t Working – Active Labour Market Policies Across the EU''. Institute of Community Studies. (with Frank Field) * 1993. ''Beyond Unemployment''. Social Market Foundation. (with Robert Skidelsky) * 1993. ''Another Great Depression: Historical Lessons for the 1990s.'' Social Market Foundation. (with Robert Skidelsky)

Selected filmography

Presenter

* 2021. ''Britain's £400bn Covid Bill – Who Will Pay?'' Dispatches. Channel 4. * 2020. ''Britain's Train Hell''. Dispatches. Channel 4. * 2019. ''Britain's New-Build Scandal''. Dispatches. Channel 4. * 2019. ''HS2: The Great Train Robbery''. Dispatches. Channel 4. * 2018. ''Carillion: How to Lose Seven Billion Pounds''. Dispatches. Channel 4. * 2016. ''Britain's Home-Building Scandal''. Dispatches. Channel 4. * 2013. ''Quantitative Easing: Miracle Cure or Dangerous Addiction?'' BBC Radio 4. * 2007. ''NHS – Where Did All the Money Go?'' Dispatches. Channel 4. * 2006. ''Public Service, Private Profit''. Dispatches. Channel 4. * 2006. ''Whose Pension Are You Paying?'' 30 Minutes. Channel 4. * 2004. ''How Safe Is Your Pension?'' 30 Minutes. Channel 4.

Producer

* 2020. ''Neither Confirm Nor Deny''.

References

External links

www.liamhalligan.com
Liam Halligan's website (with links to documentary and writing archive) {{DEFAULTSORT:Halligan, Liam 1969 births Living people Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford Alumni of the University of Warwick British business and financial journalists British columnists 20th-century British economists British political journalists British television journalists ITN newsreaders and journalists People educated at The John Lyon School Austrian School economists GB News newsreaders and journalists 21st-century British economists