Politicians like Sir Ed Davey risk normalising the abandonment of British citizens abroad while ignoring the policies pushing entrepreneurs overseas.
Radha Stirling, founder and CEO of Detained in Dubai and Due Process International, has been the UAE's biggest critic over the past two decades. She's called out the FCDO and British government for their treatment of citizens abroad and now she's called out the recent political rhetoric targeting British expatriates in Dubai, warning that attempts to portray them as “tax exiles” risk creating public support for the government abandoning its own citizens abroad.
The comments follow recent remarks by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who referred to British residents in Dubai as “tax exiles” and suggested it would be “only right” for them to pay taxes to fund the UK’s armed forces if they expect British protection abroad. His comments have fuelled a broader political debate about whether expatriates who move to low tax jurisdictions should receive the same level of support from the UK government during crises.
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Stirling said the criticism ignores the UK government’s own role in promoting the UAE as a safe and desirable destination for British citizens and investors while failing to adequately warn nationals about the risks they may face there.
“For years the UK government has actively promoted the UAE as a safe and desirable destination for British citizens and investors. It has welcomed Emirati investment into British utilities, infrastructure and media, strengthened trade ties and deepened cooperation on legal enforcement. At the same time, the Foreign Office has rarely been willing to challenge the UAE publicly over serious human rights concerns or warn British citizens clearly about the legal risks they may face there, even in cases where individuals have been beaten, detained or tortured, as in the cases of Lee Bradley Brown and Albert Douglas.”
Stirling said it was therefore contradictory for politicians to criticise British citizens who had taken opportunities abroad after successive governments encouraged close economic and diplomatic ties with the Gulf.
“It is extraordinary to promote the UAE as a trusted partner, support mutual trade deals and encourage investment, while remaining largely silent about the risks British citizens may face there, only to then criticise those same citizens for choosing to live and work abroad. If the UK wants talented people to remain in the country, it must create an environment where people actually want to stay.”
She said rising taxes, increasing regulation and the growing cost of living had made it far more difficult for entrepreneurs and innovators to build businesses in the UK.
“Many people are not leaving Britain because they want to abandon the country. They are leaving because the environment has become increasingly hostile to enterprise and opportunity. Entrepreneurs who take risks, create businesses and generate wealth are finding it harder and harder to remain in the UK. In a globalised world people have choices and governments must recognise that talent and investment are mobile.”
Stirling argued that attempts to vilify expatriates ignored the reality that countries now compete internationally for talent and investment.
“The world is more global than it has ever been and people now have genuine choices about where they live and invest. The right to freedom of movement is a recognised international principle and should not be undermined by punitive policies designed to penalise those who leave, such as exit taxes or worldwide taxation regimes. You cannot punish your way to prosperity.”
She said the UAE had deliberately positioned itself as an attractive destination for entrepreneurs and international professionals.
“The UAE has made a strategic decision to attract innovators, entrepreneurs and investors by creating an environment they find attractive. That is why it is drawing in so many ambitious and talented people from around the world. Rather than blaming British citizens for leaving, policymakers should ask why the UK is struggling to compete.”
Stirling warned that political rhetoric attacking expatriates risked creating a dangerous narrative that British citizens abroad are less deserving of government protection.
“Attempts by politicians to portray expatriates as undeserving of protection risk creating a narrative that the public should accept the government abandoning its own citizens abroad. That only serves governments that have historically been lazy and shockingly absent when British nationals have needed assistance overseas. Consular protection is not a privilege to be granted or withdrawn depending on political convenience. It is a duty owed to every citizen.”
She said the public should reject any suggestion that British citizens abroad are expendable.
“The public should strongly condemn any policy or rhetoric that seeks to normalise the government failing its own people. British nationals abroad remain British citizens. Many have paid taxes in the UK for decades and continue to maintain strong economic and family ties with the country. Treating them as scapegoats in political debates is not only unfair, it is short sighted.”
Stirling concluded that the real solution lies in strengthening Britain’s competitiveness rather than criticising those who pursue opportunities overseas.
“If the UK wants its citizens to remain, it must build a country that people want to stay in. The answer is not to vilify expatriates or punish mobility. The answer is to create an economy that is dynamic, competitive and opportunity rich so that people choose to build their futures in Britain.”
