Headlines in the UK show a country that's losing its top layer of wealth and earners. Often these reports reveal that mobile entrepreneurs or professionals are off to a new life in Dubai.
So we thought we would ask a representative sample of 2,000 people living in the UAE what their relative perceptions of the UK and UAE are.
The poll by Ipsos for The National highlights a complex, push-and-pull dynamic.
Many of them gave the rising cost of living, concerns about crime, and a perceived decline in safety as major reasons they were put off living in the UK.
Yet, emotional ties remain strong. Britain continues to hold value for its heritage, culture, education and deep sense of nostalgia, factors that still resonate with many, even as practical realities have weighed heavily in recent years.
Our UK-UAE poll has revealed a push-and-pull dynamic
If the budget hits the wrong note, British taxpayers who have set up a new life in the UAE may find even more of their compatriots deciding it is time to move.
So, bring on the tax mezze. That is the wide-ranging yet familiar arrangement of revenue measures designed to close the hole in the UK budget.
That today is budget day is momentous in itself, given the build-up to the UK's most persistent political event of the year. And not in a good way.
Rachel Reeves visits a Primark store in London ahead of her budget speech. Reuters
What to expect. The stock of housing wealth in the country will be in focus as householders in the top bands will face new charges.
At one point the Treasury had been considering plans to raise money from a new tax on the sale of homes worth more than £500,000.
Government officials were said to be looking at a possible property tax, which would replace stamp duty on owner-occupied homes.
The "homes tax" would have disproportionately affected homeowners in London and the south-east, where properties are more expensive. The average UK house price stands at £282,766, compared with £673,000 in London.
It seems certain that some if not all of the income tax thresholds will be frozen, making for what commenters are calling the lost decade of rising personal taxation.
Mobile capital was given a wake-up call when an exit tax was mooted. Entrepreneurs are steeled for taxes on dividends to rise. For those able to put money away, there is a tighter cap on tax-free savings. The list is expected to be quite long, at a dozen or more increases.
Turmoil ensues
Cause and effect. Remember the move by the UK – as well as the US and the French – to cut foreign development spending?
Well, according to the august security think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the spillover is already happening. The analysts launched the Armed Conflict Study on Tuesday and pointed out that the rise in wars and deaths we are seeing was preceded by cuts to foreign aid.
It looks at the comeback of terrorism in the Horn of Africa and makes a direct link. "The cutting of aid has impacted Somalia greatly," said Benjamin Petrini, one of the team presenting the 2025 report. "The gains that were made against Al Shabab in 2023 have evaporated as Shabab now controls 30 per cent of the country, and more than that, it is being able to exploit the polarisation and the political rivalries."
By cutting aid, western states are undermining their traditional allies and allowing armed groups to increase their influence in internal power struggles, the analysts say. The vulnerability of regional capitals like Bamako in Mali to takeover is part of mounting evidence of this ripple effect.
The price tag is huge and the third runway for Heathrow Airport is a radical venture. With an overall cost of £50 billion, the runway construction will gobble up £33bn ($43 billion), involves moving a section of the M25 motorway and would nearly double the number of passengers to 150 million a year, cementing Heathrow's place as one of the busiest airports in the world.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the plan submitted by Heathrow Airport Limited as “the most credible and deliverable option” and said the government is acting “swiftly and decisively” to move it forward.
It includes a new T5X terminal as well as a new M25 tunnel and bridges to be built 130 metres west of the existing motorway.
A less expensive, £25 billion rival proposal from Arora Group, owned by billionaire Surinder Arora, was rejected. It would have involved building a shorter, 2,800-metre runway without affecting the M25.
The Transport Department wants planning permission secured by 2029 and flights to begin in 2035.
The new north-western runway will allow the airport to increase capacity to 756,000 flights a year, almost doubling the number of passengers a year from 84 million. By comparison, Dubai International Airport handled 92 million passengers in 2024.
The project will support 100,000 jobs and Ms Alexander said it would “attract international investment and boost Britain’s connectivity”.
While Mr Arora said he accepted the government’s announcement, he added that his proposal had been to “avoid the M25 and bring down both risks and costs of the expansion scheme”. He may seek involvement in later phases of the project nonetheless.
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In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
Name: Thndr Started: 2019 Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr Sector: FinTech Headquarters: Egypt UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi Current number of staff: More than 150 Funds raised: $22 million
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Results
Men's finals
45kg:Duc Le Hoang (VIE) beat Zolfi Amirhossein (IRI) points 29-28. 48kg: Naruephon Chittra (THA) beat Joseph Vanlalhruaia (IND) TKO round 2.
63.5kg: Nadiya Moghaddam (IRI) w/o Reem Al Issa (JOR).
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC October 9: v Sabah FA
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
GroupA: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
