A former BBC reporter is inviting Trump-hating Americans ‘terrified’ of the US President to buy his £850,000 cottage – for less than £8.
Tristram Biggs, an ex-journalist-turned business development guru, has been struggling to sell off the Buckinghamshire bolt hole he bought three years ago.
Now, in a desperate bid to finally find a buyer for his ‘charming’ Victorian retreat, Mr Biggs has taken the unusual step of raffling it off.
And he is looking to market the five-bedroom home to Americans who are increasingly anxious about the political atmosphere created by Donald Trump.
Taking inspiration from a similar raffle in Ireland, Mr Biggs – who jokingly describes himself as a ‘s*** Hugh Grant‘ – is offering US citizens the chance to snap up the quaint cottage for the price of a $10 ticket (about £7.50).
‘I’m aiming it mainly at Americans, because I think there are millions out there who are terrified about how the political situation is developing, and would be delighted to spend $10 on the ticket to what would effectively be a life raft Plan B,’ he said.
The house is up for grabs on the website Raffall, with Mr Biggs saying the country getaway is located in ‘a peaceful, semi-rural setting, overlooking open fields for great views’.
The white-painted home comes with a ‘cozy living room with a classic brick fireplace, wood floors, and space for seating’, he added.
Tristram Biggs, an ex-journalist-turned business development guru, has been struggling to sell off the Buckinghamshire bolt hole he bought three years ago
He is now trying to raffle off his £850,000 country home (pictured) to Americans ‘terrified’ about President Donald Trump
Mr Biggs is marketing his cottage as a ‘safe haven’ away from the US President (pictured)
Inside buyers will also find a ‘spacious’ kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, while outside there are a number of outbuildings on the property’s 0.21-acre plot of land.
And to sweeten the deal, Mr Biggs is also offering liberal Americans seeking to make the move across the pond ‘Englishness’ training.
‘I’m thinking… how to make tea, how to stand on the right escalators, how to correctly address a duchess,’ he told the Guardian.
His effort to raffle his cottage to those State side comes at a time when Britain is experiencing a boom in the number of Americans seeking start a new life in the UK.
High-profile figures like comedian Ellen DeGeneres have already made the transition to Britain.
DeGeneres, 67, snapped up a property in the Cotswolds in 2024 after her long-running talkshow ended, moving her with her wife Portia de Rossi, 52.
Citing concerns over Donald Trump’s return to power after the last US election, DeGeneres celebrated her new UK life, saying: ‘Everything here is just better.’
The TV personality expressed fears over LGBTQ+ rights in America, and the impact President Trump could have on them in his second term of office.
Mr Biggs is raffling off his Buckinghamshire home for the cost of a $10 ticket
The five-bedroom home features a ‘cozy’ living room with its own fireplace
Mr Biggs is looking to sell off his home in an effort to move back to London
And it appears she is not alone; in the 12 months leading up to March this year, more than 6,000 US citizens applied to either become British subjects or live and work in the country indefinitely.
This is the largest number since comparable records began, according to the Home Office.
Meanwhile, London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan – who’s been embroiled in a bitter years-long feud with Trump – has boasted at how the capital is seeing a surge in American tourism.
Sir Sadiq, who the president branded a ‘terrible mayor’ during the pair’s most recent spat, credited the capital’s ‘open, liberal and diverse’ culture for the ‘surge’ in US visitors.
In what is likely a thinly veiled swipe at Mr Trump – who recently claimed London was operating under religious ‘sharia law’ – Sir Sadiq said the city was becoming ‘increasingly attractive’ to American citizens.
New figures by City Hall showed visitors to the city ballooned eight per cent in 2024, and a fifth since 2022. Notably, these figures from 2022 come after the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw global tourism slump due to multiple lockdowns and travel restrictions.
Some 5.56million American tourists visited London last year, according to the International Passenger Survey.
However, in contrast, the number of Brits holidaying across the Atlantic has dropped by about 100,000, with 2.2million visiting last year.
So far, the reaction to Mr Biggs efforts to entice Americans into buying his home have been broadly positive – although it has faced pushback from Trump supporters, with one bluntly declaring: ‘No thanks!’
The former reporter purchased the cottage three years ago and has been trying to sell it
Mr Biggs, who according to his LinkedIn account spent almost 20 years working for the BBC, said he was trying to tap into ‘a dream of a safe haven and a playful escape’.
He is keen to move back to London following a break-up and fears a nearby planning application could see the value of his property drop.
Promoting his house raffle over Instagram and Facebook, he is attempting to tempt Americans with his home’s proximity to Heathrow Airport, London and Windsor Castle.
People have until December 31 to put a bid in. However, if fewer than 150,000 tickets are sold, he will keep the house – while the winner will get a cash payment of 50 per cent of the total ticket sales.
Raffal will take a 10 per cent share of the revenue, while Mr Biggs will pocket the rest.
