Amid reports of British expats in Dubai expressing fears over the Iran conflict, many insist life continues as normal. The UAE has seen at least three expat workers killed and up to 68 injured from debris of intercepted Iranian airstrikes since Saturday. A dramatic explosion at the Fairmont hotel added to the spectacle.
An estimated 250,000 British nationals live in the UAE, attracted by zero income tax and year-round sun. One British expat in financial services described a double shock: hearing the boom of impacts, then being told to delete a BBC video shared with colleagues, as sharing unverified content is an imprisonable offence. The internet briefly went down.
Some Britons rushed to the Oman border to fly out when airspace closed, and over 100,000 have registered with the Foreign Office. Private schools like Repton Dubai have closed until further notice, and many work from home. However, Justin Harper, editor of CEO Middle East, said he felt assured authorities had the situation under control.
“I don’t want to sound blasé but it’s business as usual for me,” said Harper, who returned to work on Monday. “While my kids are still home-schooled for the next couple of days, it does feel we’re getting back to normal already.” He added: “There’s a lot of envy about the Dubai lifestyle... I think in terms of long-term implications we will quickly weather the storm.”
In the UK, some have expressed schadenfreude. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey referenced “tax exiles” and said British protection should require paying taxes. A Daily Mail headline read: “End of the Dubai dream.” But Harper and others maintain the expat community remains resilient.
