A British gym boss insists war-torn Dubai is ‘still safer than London‘ – after hitting out the UK government for not helping him return to the UAE.
Rory McEntee, 43, relocated with his wife and two-year-old child last year after living in London for 17 years.
He landed in London on February 25 to visit old friends and was supposed to get his return flight home on Sunday, March 1, when conflict dramatically broke out in the Middle East, leaving him ‘stranded’.
Mr McEntee, who runs GymNation with other British expats in Dubai, is now back in the emirate. But he was ‘desperately’ trying to catch the first flight back to the Middle East – and says he has had ‘zero help’ from the Government.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘I am surprised to have received no help from the UK Government. The UAE is helping all Brits that were stranded there when the conflict broke out, paying for their flights, hotels, food, and taxis.
‘But there was no help provided by anyone in the UK for me, as a UAE resident, which I find strange, to be honest.
‘I was getting zero help from the UK – as a taxpayer for 17 years I thought I would at least get some kind of support. But British Airways just offered a full refund or to book me onto the next flight.’
The conflict between Iran and the US and its allies has caused widespread airspace closures in the Middle East, sparking major disruption to flights.
British-born Rory (pictured) told the Daily Mail he was ‘desperate’ to get back to the UAE, saying it is ‘still safer than the UK right now’
Rory McEntee, 43, runs GymNation alongside other British expats in Dubai
Since the war began, the US and Israel have continued to batter Iran with nationwide strikes, and in turn, Iran has kept up retaliatory strikes on Israel, US bases and across the region.
It has led to thousands of Britons fleeing the region – after many told of sleeping in basement car parks in Dubai as they heard explosions during the beginning of the conflict.
But for Mc McEntee, Dubai is ‘safer than London’. He said that during his week-long stay in Britain he witnessed ‘constant petty crimes’, including two phone muggings in ‘in broad daylight’.
He added that he was asked by his female friend to walk her home from the Tube as she felt unsafe and noticed ‘men in balaclavas whipping by you on e-bikes’, saying it was ‘no way to live’.
‘I moved to Dubai with my wife when we had a baby and realised the UK wasn’t the place I wanted to bring up a child,’ Mr McEntee said.
‘We also moved for a better quality of life, sunshine, career opportunities – and obviously the tax breaks are a bonus, but not the main reason for moving.’
Indeed, so keen is Rory McEntee to get back to Dubai that he even set up a GoFundMe to raise money to buy another plane ticket, and received £660 from the public.
He said it was ‘business as usual’ in Dubai, with people still going out, eating at restaurants, and going to the gym, and that ‘the majority’ of British expats would rather stay in Dubai at the moment.
‘I think the majority of the expats would rather stay in the UAE right now than return to the UK.
The UAE confirmed it was hit by a ballistic missile and six drones following a barrage of 131 suicide drones in a furious ‘revenge’ attack. The Burj Khalifa was narrowly missed in a drone strike in the city last Sunday (pictured)
Iranian strikes hit a key industrial zone in Dubai last Sunday. Satellites captured black smoke billowing from the bomb site
Rory McEntee’s GoFundMe received over £660 in donations to get him ‘back to the UAE’
‘Like 90 per cent of the drones have been dealt with, so there’s a feeling of safety in the UAE for me. It’s definitely somewhere I’d rather be right now than London and having to deal with petty crime on a daily basis.’
More than 140,000 Brits in the Middle East have registered for updates from the UK government, and so far the Foreign Office confirmed to the Daily Mail that 7,500 people have returned to the UK from the UAE since Tuesday, March 3.
Rory McEntee said he had been a ‘state of limbo’ after constant flight reschedules.
‘It’s been spending days online and on the phone trying to figure out what my options are,’ he said.
‘As you can imagine the airlines don’t know too much, it’s all pretty new. Fortunately I’ve been staying with a friend in the capital so I haven’t had to fork out on hotels or anything.’
Rory McEntee made it safely back to Dubai last week on what he says was a near-empty flight.
His story comes as the UAE threatened to jail Dubai influencers or anyone who posts ‘misinformation’ about the Iranian war.
The Middle Eastern country, which is partly ruled by Sharia law, warned that any content deemed harmful to ‘public order’, ‘national unity’ or the country’s reputation could result in severe penalties, including jail time or fines of up to the equivalent of roughly £60,000.
