The British gym boss ‘desperate’ to return to war-torn Dubai: Businessman hits out at UK Government for not helping him fly to the UAE – and claims it is ‘still safer’ than London
A British gym boss insists war-torn Dubai is “still safer than London” after slamming the UK government for not helping him return to the UAE.
Rory McEntee, 43, moved away with his wife and two-year-old child last year after living in London for 17 years.
He landed in London on 25 February to visit old friends and was due to catch his flight home on Sunday 1 March as conflict broke out dramatically 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 to the Middle East and says he received ‘zero help’ from the Government.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘I’m surprised I haven’t received any help from the UK Government. The UAE is helping any British people stranded there when the conflict broke out by covering the cost of flights, hotels, meals and taxis.
‘But as a UAE resident I have not been provided any assistance in the UK, 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 has just offered a full refund or rebooking on the next flight.’
The conflict between Iran and the United States and its allies has resulted in the closure of large areas of airspace in the Middle East and caused major disruptions to flights.
British-born Rory (pictured) told the Daily Mail he was “desperate” to return to the UAE and said the UAE was “still safer than the UK at the moment”
Rory McEntee, 43, runs GymNation with other British expats in Dubai
Since the start of the war, the United States and Israel have continued to hammer Iran with nationwide attacks, and Iran, in turn, has continued to launch retaliatory attacks on Israel, U.S. bases, and throughout the region.
This led to thousands of Britons fleeing the area, after many said they were sleeping in basement car parks in Dubai when they heard explosions at the start of the conflict.
However, according to McEntee, Dubai is ‘safer than London’. He said that during his week-long stay in Britain, he witnessed “constant petty crime”, including two phone robberies “during the day”.
He stated that his female friend did not feel safe and noticed that ‘men in balaclavas were whipping you with e-bikes’ and that this was ‘no way to live’, adding that she asked him to walk her home from the subway.
“I moved to Dubai with my wife when we had our baby and realized the UK wasn’t where I wanted to raise children,” Mr McEntee said.
‘We also moved for a better quality of life, sunshine, career opportunities; and of course tax breaks are a bonus but not the main reason for moving.’
In fact, Rory McEntee is so keen to return to Dubai that he even set up a GoFundMe to raise money to buy another flight ticket, receiving £660 from the public.
He said it was business as usual in Dubai, with people still going out, eating in restaurants and going to the gym, and said the ‘majority’ of British expats would prefer to stay in Dubai at the moment.
‘I think the majority of expats would currently prefer to stay in the UAE rather than return to the UK.
The UAE has confirmed it was hit by a ballistic missile and six drones after a barrage of 131 suicide drones in a furious ‘revenge’ attack. Burj Khalifa was narrowly missed in a drone attack on the city last Sunday (pictured)
Iran attacked an important industrial area in Dubai last Sunday. Satellites captured black smoke rising from bomb site
Rory McEntee’s GoFundMe receives over £660 in donations to ‘get him back to UAE’
“90 percent of the UAVs have been taken care of, so there is a sense of security for me in the UAE.” Definitely somewhere I’d rather be right now than London and dealing with petty crime every day.’
More than 140,000 Britons in the Middle East have signed up for updates from the UK government and so far the Foreign Office has confirmed to the Daily Mail that 7,500 people have returned to the UK from the UAE since Tuesday 3 March.
Rory McEntee said he was experiencing a ‘state of uncertainty’ after flight schedules constantly changed.
‘I spent days online and on the phone trying to figure out what my options were,’ he said.
‘As you can imagine the airlines don’t know too much, it’s all pretty new. Luckily I’m staying with a friend in the capital, so I didn’t have to pay for hotels or anything.’
Rory McEntee arrived safely back in Dubai last week on a flight he said was almost empty.
His story comes as the UAE threatens to jail influential figures in Dubai or anyone who publishes ‘false information’ about the Iran war.
The Middle Eastern country, which is partly governed by sharia law, has warned that any content deemed harmful to ‘public order’, ‘national unity’ or the country’s reputation could result in severe penalties, including prison time or a fine of up to around £60,000.
