An Update from Me

Where have I been? What’s happening? And what’s next?

THIS IS AN APOLOGY. But it's only one sorry. That sorry is for being a bit quiet on Substack lately. I'm conscious that I haven't posted for a while. It's time to catch up!

Here's my excuse: I've been moving house. That is always very stressful. And this is not the average relocation: I've literally left the country. And for that, I'm most certainly not apologising.

When news of my big move came out in the Observer [1] lefties went nuts.

They simply couldn’t wrap their heads around the fact that someone they smear as a ‘racist’ and ‘Islamophobe’ would choose to live in a Muslim country.

One particularly desperate, race-baiting Z-list rent-a-gob, Bushra Shaikh, got so carried away that she even tried to claim I had ‘complained about the call to prayer’ in the past.

Complete nonsense of course. In fact, I love the call to prayer - as I Tweeted some years ago. [2]

Nor have I ever had a problem with Muslims. Embarrassing for Bushra, eh?

So: sorry, not sorry! I'm proud to have made this decision. I love my country, and home is home, but I choose to be somewhere else for now. Like so many other people in the UK, I am sick of Starmer's socialist government. Our country is becoming a dystopian nightmare. It's ruinously expensive; the streets are dirty and dangerous; nothing seems to work; and people with jobs are having to work ever harder for less return. We are supporting an ever-growing band of people who should not be in the UK in the first place - or simply choose not to work. While public services get ever worse, taxpayers' money is being casually squandered by this government. Starmer and the gang waste and abuse our money on an industrial scale. For the time being I've had enough.

That's why, shortly after the general election, I made the radical decision to move to the United Arab Emirates. For all the reasons I left - and a long list of what's great about living here - please read my recent article in the Telegraph newspaper. [3]

Of course, it's not easy moving 5000 km to another continent. There are things I miss - though not a lot. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to live in a place where the sun shines every day and almost everything seems to work. Unlike in angry Britain, people here are happy and polite. The vast majority of folk living in Dubai (around 80%) are expatriates. They come from all over the world to seize the opportunities available in a booming economy. They are not shy of admitting they're here to make money. Unlike in the UK, there's no benefits system for incomers, so it's a case of working hard to support yourself; or leave. And that is exactly what people do. Perhaps the strangest aspect of living in the heart of the Middle East is that I feel more at home than I do in London. There are no illegal immigrants; no wild-eyed drug addicts wandering the streets; no intimidating mobs of masked youths hanging around street corners. There's no stench of marijuana; nobody jumping train ticket barriers; no mobile phone muggers. There are no pro-Hamas protests; no Just Stop Oil morons blocking roads; no piles of rubbish in the gutters. The place is near enough crime-free and squeaky clean. And by the way, hardly any women wear burqas. I see far fewer than I do in Knightsbridge.

Most remarkably, people from very different cultures and faiths live together in perfect harmony. Why? Because everyone knows the rules. The UAE has a clear identity and no-nonsense leadership. Everyone is expected to behave properly, and those who break the law are simply deported or jailed. Life is great here - so why take that risk?

I won't pretend the big move here has not been challenging, especially with several children and lots of responsibilities in the UK. I am still writing for the Telegraph and working as hard as I can for Talk. I very much hope that is not going to change. Now I'm semi-settled, I will also be getting back into Substack.

It’s important to note that I’m still fully immersed in everything happening in the UK. I travel regularly between Dubai and London and follow the news as closely as I would if I were working from home in the Cotswolds. We are in the political fight of our lives, and along with my partner, Richard Tice, I want to be part of it every step of the way. The entire Reform team is doing an incredible job, giving the country hope.

Naturally, I'm incredibly excited and energised by the party's progress - and have the inside track. That's what you'll continue to get on this Substack. There is so much to share. The political revolution is just getting started...