When it comes to soft power, Britain has boundless appeal. However, on harder, more tangible items, it is found wanting.
The mass departure of billionaires and sports celebrities is attracting headlines – steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal is the latest to leave the UK. These figures are receiving acres of publicity, but there are many more, nothing-like-as-wealthy, who are also making this identical, life-changing decision. The choice has been eased by the ever-rising draw of the UAE as a world commercial and trading hub, offering ease of relocation and excellent communications. What were regarded as obstacles in the past, no longer apply.
What is clear is that when it comes to doing the math, the UAE is winning every time. Britain is great, lovely even, but so, increasingly, is the UAE with the financial pluses to match. That is the strong conclusion of The National’s poll into perceived differences between UAE and UK, and why people choose to move between the two.
Asked for the first words that come to mind when thinking of the UK, the survey respondents put history, heritage, football, Premier League, London, royal family, monarchy, culture and arts at the forefront. Even Big Ben scored more highly than work, job opportunities, living standards.
Healthcare and education systems are rated favourably, as is the UK being a good place to bring up a family. As expected, the cold, wet weather, when compared with the sunny UAE, finds few friends. But then so do the high cost of living, security and safety, racism and discrimination, housing shortages and the expense of renting, and high taxes.
With Rachel Reeves’s budget this week, it is probable that these latter findings are only going to climb. The Chancellor appears set to increase taxes to plug the gap in the public purse, with the well-off financially almost certainly fixed in her sights.
Meanwhile, traditional and social media abound with lurid, frightening tales of growing UK crime. “Lawless London” has become a well-worn phrase. It is not necessarily true – the Metropolitan Police insists the capital is less crime-ridden – but somehow the opposite view prevails. It is not helped by the fact that many of the reported and much pored-over crimes relate to street robberies of luxury watches and jewellery – again targeting the rich, just the sort to be influenced into relocating to somewhere like the UAE.
Rising racism and discrimination is becoming an issue, the result of so much attention afforded to illegal immigration and the way in which the right, notably Reform UK, have made this such a hot political battleground. The atmosphere, particularly for non-whites such as Mr Mittal, is fast-becoming unpleasant if not downright hostile in places.
Housing also remains problematic. Labour said they would spark a housebuilding boom but have failed to do so. Homes, especially for the young, starter couples and first-time buyers, are in short supply. Property prices, and with them, rental values, again in London, are stubbornly high.
So, the UK, London, is a nice place to be, to live, to visit. Most of those surveyed residing in the UAE and certainly the younger, under-45 age groups said they had been. But for many folks, other aspects, especially when it comes to settling down permanently, are a major drawback.
Significantly, the overwhelming majority of the expats questioned were educated to graduate level. They also have full-time jobs and are married with young children. This confirms the UAE as a magnet for young, upwardly mobile professionals who are attracted by its low taxes, strong career prospects, warm climate and excellent conditions for raising children.
It mirrors some of the attractions of the UK, where, for example, bringing up a family also achieved a leading score. That fuels the sense of what drives Brits to settle in the UAE – the Emirates enables them to lead a life equivalent to the one they could have led had they stayed, albeit more affordable, with blue skies and sun. This is a key differentiator, a clincher, for those UK inhabitants debating where to choose to live. Other competing international-leaning business centres in Europe and Asia that are similarly holding out for employed, skilled, high-value incomers are unable to offer that same copycat ingredient.
Statistics reinforce the answer usually given when an expat is quizzed as to why they deserted the UK for UAE. This poll asked why would they not consider moving to the UK? A whopping 60 per cent-plus across the whole age range surveyed replied, “better lifestyle in the UAE”. It’s that simple. There is a residual love for the UK, make no mistake, for its history, beauty, pageantry, schools, NHS and, yes, the Premier League, but people would rather base themselves and their families in the Emirates. Unless Ms Reeves plays safe, that percentage is likely to rise further still.
