Brits lament having no say in Brexit

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) A section of British expats in the UAE are worried three weeks after the Brexit vote came out in favour of leaving the European Union. But for others it''s a time to rejoice.

A few British expats living in the UAE were not allowed to vote under UK rules. Britishers who left their homeland more than 15 years ago did not have voting rights in the Brexit referendum, nor can they vote in other British elections. That rule runs counter to many other countries, including the US, where citizens have lifetime voting rights as long as they retain American nationality. Hence, a part of millions of Brits living abroad who heavily favoured the Remain side, but who had no right to vote - are unhappy.

In the UAE alone there are approximately 100,000 British citizens and not all of them were eligible to vote.

At a recent event at the Capital Club Dubai on the Brexit, participants were almost equally divided on the topic and on what next for Britain.? According to Toby Simpson, Managing Director of Gulf Recruitment Group, one of the reasons to look forward to the UK leaving the EU is that "UK is just one country and as it will not be part of a 28-country trading bloc. It can now focus a lot more on itself."

What expats are most upset about is the fact that the British pound plunged to fresh 31-year lows last week, swamped by continued fears over the UK leadership vacuum and the country''s potential exit from the EU.

"I''m just devastated that this happened and the country is now racked with xenophobia. What''s worse is that I send money home and have lots of savings back in the UK. That has now affected me deeply with the plunge in currency exchange rates," said a 35-year-old banking manager based in Dubai who wished to remain anonymous.

"I cannot believe that the pound is at the lowest ever against the dollar in my lifetime," said 31-year-old Daisy Smith in Abu Dhabi.

"I''m actually trying to figure out if I can get an Irish passport since my grandmother was Irish. I really do not want to leave the EU. The political leaders don''t even know what is next in store for Britain."

Other residents, however, are much more upbeat about the result.

Michael Armstrong, Regional Director of ICAEW based in Dubai said: "Now that the decision has been made to leave the European Union, we all need to do what we can to make it work. We need to build new trading relationships with countries within and beyond the EU and to seek out new opportunities for growth."

David J Burns, Chairman and CEO of the British Business Group, Dubai & Northern Emirates believes that while the UK and the world are currently in shock at the result of the EU referendum Brits now have in the UAE an opportunity to capitalise on the result.

"The UK is of particular interest to the British Business Group in Dubai and I believe this will only increase as the need for UK businesses to expand their current trading locations gets bigger," he said to Khaleej Times.

"The British kite mark has always been a symbol of quality and excellence and our building standards are second to none in the region. The term "Buy British" is synonymous with good quality and value and all of our quality stores are represented in the UAE in some form or another," he added.

Meanwhile taking advantage of the Sterling slump, UAE nationals and expats heading to the UK this summer are expected to splash out on fancy hotels, upgrades, dining and entertainment.