UK budget: What drives Britons to UAE apart from tax relief and sunshine

Dubai: British families are flocking to the UAE, and it is not just about the tax relief and yearlong sunshine anymore, it has been revealed amidst recent £26 billion tax hikes that include several measures set to raise personal tax burdens for UK residents while leaving overseas nationals largely unaffected.

Healthcare has emerged as a decisive factor in the migration wave, as the UK's National Health Service (NHS) struggles with mounting waiting times and chronic underfunding, according to a former health chief of England.

Sir Malcolm Grant, former chairman of NHS England and a current board member of Dubai-headquartered Aster DM Healthcare, has laid bare the healthcare crisis driving British high-net-worth individuals to the UAE.

Speaking to Gulf News during his recent visit to Dubai, the veteran healthcare leader revealed how a decade of underinvestment in the UK has transformed the UAE from an exotic destination into a practical necessity for British families seeking reliable medical care.

"I think 10 years ago, you wouldn't have heard people putting healthcare at the top of their list. The NHS was functioning pretty well, but it has been in a process of increasing challenge over the last 10 years, largely because levels of investment have not kept pace with the levels of demand," Grant explained.

Healthcare systems require a compound annual growth rate of investment around 5% to keep pace with ageing populations and rising drug costs. The UK has managed barely 1% to 2% over the past decade, said Grant, who is also a Barrister and former chancellor of the University of York.

"The consequence in the UK is lengthy waiting times, long waiting lists. The NHS is really good in an emergency with world class care…but for long term, chronic conditions and for what we call elective surgery, it's not so good," Grant said.

When Grant examines the UAE's healthcare landscape, he sees what Britain once had: ample capacity, world-class training standards, and infrastructure that has not outgrown its purpose.

"What we see here in Dubai in particular is ample capacity, current healthcare needs of the population here, and that's not true in many parts of the world," he said. "Some of the top people I've met at Aster, for example, have the top qualifications from the UK and the US. They've trained abroad. That gives patients a lot of reassurance."

According to a recent survey of 1,000 UK adults, 61% would relocate abroad if given the opportunity, with the UAE at the top of the list. For British families weighing their options, the UAE offers an unexpected value proposition.

Grant pointed out that patients can fly to the UAE, undergo procedures such as orthopaedic surgery or ophthalmology treatments, enjoy recovery time, and still pay less than private hospital fees in the UK or the US.

This cost advantage is positioning the UAE as the next major medical tourism hub. "The willingness of people to travel, I think, is quite a significant change over the last decade. I suspect we'll see a lot more of it given the competitive advantages," Grant said.

Grant believes technology will define healthcare's future in the UAE. From preventive care through genomics and real-time monitoring to AI-assisted diagnostics, the UAE is well-positioned to lead.

"The more that we digitise healthcare, the more that we are able to monitor a person's conditions in real time, we can use the modern science of genomics to risk stratification," he explained, noting that doctors can now predict individual susceptibility to conditions and intervene before symptoms emerge.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi have embraced these innovations faster than most Western capitals. Grant sees virtual consultations and cross-border telemedicine as game-changers.

The migration pattern carries long-term implications. Historically, expatriates came for employment stints before returning home. Grant expects this to change.

"I suspect with the current migration patterns, you are going to see a number of individuals and families coming here as a lifetime choice, which means that you will start to experience the problems that we have in the rest of the world of an aging population," he said.

In 2024, 6,700 millionaires moved to the UAE, with nearly 10,000 expected to arrive in 2025, while Britain faces a projected net loss of 16,500 millionaires in 2025, more than double China's predicted losses, according to the Henley Private Wealth Migration Report 2025.

For British families watching from London or Manchester, weighing soaring tax bills against deteriorating public services, Grant's insights offer a sobering perspective.

"People will look at Dubai and the UAE and start to realise actually healthcare here is pretty good, and certainly by comparison with what you are likely to get in the UK," Grant said.

That realisation is spurring a migration wave that shows no signs of slowing.