Immigration from poor countries has a perverse effect on the rich, writes Sir Paul Collier

In 2015 , Angela Merkel , then Chancellor of Germany , decided to open Germany to migrants.

Around a million came, mainly from Syria : a huge, rapid shift in a country where immigration had been moderate.

In Sweden , the conservative government in Sweden followed Merkel ’s lead and opened its doors to all who wished to enter.

In the UK , the ruling but unpopular Conservative Party finds itself beset by protests.

The more Donald Trump railed at “rapists and criminals” entering the US , the greater the number of families who tried to elude the US border guards, and still do.

For all of Prime Minister Meloni ’s hard line on migrants,.

prompting public rows with France last year and Germany this month , they stream into Italy , recently causing fights with the Italian police.

A report concluded that the results of the initiative were mixed: the Syrians could work and wished to, but few foreign companies were prepared to participate.

The Compact has been used as a template for other African states to grant at least a limited right to work to refugees.

Western states short of highly trained professionals need to stop “luring” these workers from poor and developing states and invest more in training their own young people.