Scroll through social media right now, and you’ll see it everywhere. Dubai. Influencers by the pool. Entrepreneurs in high-rise apartments. Former footballers on yachts. Families posting spotless streets, spotless beaches, and seemingly spotless lives.
And back home? Sirens. Blue lights. Knife crime alerts. Sexual assaults. Another machete gang video filmed in broad daylight.
To the people who sneer and say “tax exiles”, I say "jealousy".
Because that’s what this really comes down to. Jealousy.
I’ve looked at Dubai myself. I’ve genuinely thought about it. Then reality kicks in - how would I earn enough there to support my family? What would I actually do? It’s not easy to transplant your life to the Gulf and start again. For most ordinary working people, it’s not realistic, and it’s not achievable.
But I completely understand the pull.
When you’re bringing up two young daughters in modern Britain, it changes you. Every headline lands differently. Every story about grooming gangs, rape cases, random knife attacks… that’s not politics anymore. That’s personal.
I am petrified of the England my daughters will grow up in. Petrified that one day I won’t be there to protect them. And let’s not pretend things are improving. They’re not. They’re clearly getting worse.
Meanwhile, our government bends over backwards to prioritise the human rights of foreign men over the safety and rights of British citizens. That’s not rhetoric - that was effectively confirmed in court during the Bell Hotel case when Home Office lawyers laid out where their priorities sit.
That’s the part that really stings.
Now look at Dubai. Yes, there’s been panic this week. Drones. Missile interceptions and Hotel fires. As I write this, the US consulate was reportedly just hit.
Rather than attacking expats, we should be asking why drone strikes are not bringing them home - Adam Brooks
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My own niece, first time there on holiday, is unfortunately caught up in it. We were worried sick on Saturday, and she was shaken. Anyone would be.
But now? She’s on the beach. The restaurants are full, the nightclubs are open, and life is simply going on.
Would I feel totally comfortable there right now with drones overhead? No. Let’s be honest. Not yet.
But what has impressed me is the leadership response. The United Arab Emirates has been crystal clear: guests in their country are precious. Their safety is paramount.
You cannot simply stroll in and claim citizenship like you can in Britain. It’s extremely controlled and structured. National interest comes first. And they are working overtime to project stability and security.
That’s leadership.
Compare that to Britain, where illegal arrivals are housed, funded and protected faster than law-abiding citizens can get a GP appointment.
And then we have people like Ed Davey taking pot shots at those who’ve left for a new life in Dubai. Calling them tax dodgers. Framing them as greedy. As if wanting safer streets for your family is some kind of moral failing.
It’s cheap. It’s snobbish, and it absolutely reeks of jealousy.
Take someone like Rio Ferdinand. How many millions has he paid in UK tax over the years? More than most critics will earn in a lifetime. If he chooses to raise his family somewhere he believes is safer, that isn’t betrayal. That’s good parenting.
Let’s be clear. Nobody is demanding taxpayer-funded luxury airlifts. But if British citizens are genuinely at risk abroad, it is the duty of the British government to prioritise their safety. Full stop.
What’s interesting is this: many Brits living in Dubai right now don’t even want to leave. They still feel safer there… drones and all, than they do walking parts of London at night.
That should tell you something.
Holidaymakers like my niece? Different story. They want to come home now, and that’s fair enough. But long-term expats? They’re staying put.
Maybe instead of attacking them, we should ask why so many people with money are choosing to go.
Maybe if Britain felt safer, cleaner, more controlled - if the government actually put its own citizens first, we wouldn’t be watching an exodus of British talent and wealth.
People don’t leave paradise.
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