Britons living in Florida have revealed why they left the UK, with one expat saying it makes him “so sad” to see his home country changing so quickly.
Speaking with those who left, GB News’s Ben Leo heard concerns about crime, safety, and the changing character of communities that contributed to their decision to build new lives in America.
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One Briton from Oldham said he believed Britain had “gone too far”, claiming communities across the country were being “changed beyond belief”.
“You’re eroding English culture, British culture,” he said, adding: “You’re eroding everything that people want to visit the UK for.”
The man said even small towns and rural areas were now experiencing changes previously associated with larger cities.
Another expat said he felt “much, much, much safer” living in Florida, despite America’s very different approach to gun ownership.
“I feel more on edge turning my head around in London than I do here for sure,” he said.
But the Britons admitted they still missed many aspects of life back home, including football, cricket, rugby and British culture.
One expat said living abroad had made him realise how much he missed the UK, while a British pub in Orlando has become a haven for homesick expats, filled with football shirts and memorabilia.
However, some said they had no plans to return permanently, with one revealing friends and family repeatedly tell him: “Don’t come home, don’t come home. It’s changed too much.”
He added: “It makes me so sad, actually, to see what’s happening in the UK because it looks like it’s changing so quickly as well.”
The expat also claimed some Americans were now reluctant to visit Britain because they did not feel safe.
“There are honestly people who say, ‘We won’t go there now. We won’t go to London. We don’t want to go. We don’t feel safe. It looks unsafe.’”
“What a terrible way to advertise ourselves,” they said.
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