Happy to get closure on Brexit uncertainty: British expats

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to return to power after the Conservative Party won a thumping majority on Friday. UK expats in the UAE are sighing in relief as they see hope of something concrete coming out after three years of push and pull over the Brexit issue. Khaleej Times caught up with a few British expats in the UAE who said they are relieved that the Brexit confusion is finally over.

David Neild, an 81-year-old expat, said: "In the past three years, there has been too much uncertainty in Britain. Whether one likes Brexit or not, at least the uncertainty is over and they can now chart a way forward to some constructive work. If I was in the UK, then definitely I would have supported Brexit as I think a country is better on its own rather than sharing its policies with another 20 odd countries. I am very positive about this change as it brings an end to the paralysis in Britain in the last three years when nothing really was happening. And I'm hopeful they can now focus on the other matters that need more focus on, such as crimes, national health and others."

British expat Sarah Wright said that staying in the UAE, she doesn't feel the Brexit deal will affect her life much. "Although I was looking to move back to the UK in the next couple of years, we have put those plans on hold due to all this uncertainty. We will wait and watch how it goes in the UK before making the final move back. I am hoping that Mr Johnson manages to do some good work in the next four years."

British homemaker Karen Day said: "Personally, I voted for Labour and I'm very worried about the Tory vote. I'm Welsh, the NHS was founded by a Welshman in a Labour government and now I fear the worst. It is one of the best things about the UK that really shows the country cares, and now under the Tories, I feel it is going to be under further threat."

Another UK expat, GA, said the UK's political situation had become very embarrassing for its people across the world because of so much indecisiveness. "I feel most of the people in the UK, including my family, were just frustrated as they wanted a closure to this whole Brexit affair one way or the other. They wanted some kind of a conclusion. People are just annoyed due to this stretched Brexit dilemma in the last few years and the lack of any progress or any economic development because politics is not getting over and done with this Brexit issue."

She added: "Also, I and a lot of my friends love the ideology of the Labour Party, we felt their leadership was not strong enough. People just needed a leader who would at least promise to get things done, and this is why they are now looking up at Boris Johnson whose slogan 'get Brexit done' did half the magic."

Meanwhile, Boodle Hatfield, a private wealth law firm, said Gulf investors will accelerate luxury property purchases following Conservative majority.

Kyra Motley, partner at Boodle Hatfield, said the period of extremely low London luxury property prices for buyers in US dollars may begin to end as certainty over the UK's exit from the European Union is finally reached. Motley said: "For those considering a London luxury property purchase, time is now of the essence. Prices are unlikely to stay so low for a long period and Gulf buyers will want to get deals completed as soon as possible."

She added: "Finally, getting certainty on Brexit could see the pound recover, and Middle Eastern buyers lose some of the foreign exchange discount they have enjoyed since 2016."