People leaving London and now the UK for good

[Musicaldilemma]

We are in Outer London. Ten sets of friends have moved out of London to other parts of the U.K. over the summer. Now many other families are in the process of emigrating to The Middle East, various part of Asia, 2 NZ families who have been here 20 years trying to go home and 3 Aussie families (1 parent Australian). It is definitely much more than usual. It seems everyone who is rich enough and able to is trying to leave the country for good. It got me thinking to when I was a young successful professional - I think I may have tried to leave too. I am worried we are going to end up with an unhealthy, elderly population with all the young, successful people propping the economy back gone. I think the latest rounds of news have broken quite a lot of people I know who have international options, it looks worse than immediately after Brexit. Is it just my friendship group and the people I know at work? (Lawyer?) Or are others observing this too?

For some jobs, there will no difficulty at all to replace them. For others, it is clear that the UK is already struggling wo them.

Exactly

Why are people leaving? What do they think is better about the other countries or is it more that they feel they are going home?

Which country is going to let in Covid-ridden Brits right now?

I think anyone who is thinking of leaving for sunnier climates might have a rude awakening.

Anyway I will be out of London as soon as I manage to sell my flat or I am even considering renting it.

My plans is to either move to Scotland or to a Seaside town as I still want to stay in the UK but of this government continues to mess things up the Netherlands might be another option since I also have an EU passport.

If people want to move elsewhere, good luck to them 👍

The grass is not necessarily greener on the other side but if people have made the decision to go, so be it 👍

People that are left, will make the best of it and adapt

If Scotland gets independence, good for them but can’t really see Spain agreeing to them joining the EU

If Scotland gets major financial problems, who will be the Bank of a Last Resort?

A clue is it won’t be the Bank of England

@ParlezVousWronglais

Why are people leaving? What do they think is better about the other countries or is it more that they feel they are going home?

I can only talk about myself there.

A better healthcare
Better economy
A more positive future
Not experiencing xenophobia all the time (and be told 'Im jumping the queue etc...)
To have somewhere I can call home
Not waiting for the other shoe to drop constantly (see the SS, no paper record and the constant change in the 'rules')

I don't know anyone who has recently left the country just know about 9 families who left London this summer. They all had homes to sell but wanted more space & remote working made it possible. 2 to Edinburgh, 1 to Manchester, 1 to Bristol, 1 to Cardiff, 2 to Surrey, 1 to Berkshire. 1 to Essex. 3 would have gone at some point.

@ElectraBlue why do you want to leave London?

I can't get over the negativity towards the UK at the moment, it seems to be everywhere! Many countries are going to have issues coming up with Covid and economic setbacks. Many people move abroad in normal times and many people decide to return home. I think for all our problems it's quite clear that some people have not truly seen the struggle in other countries and why so many people dream of setting up lives in the UK.

@TonMoulin

Yep. Also a lot of EU ctizens have left too. Most of them have been living in the uk for 10+ years and were really nicely settled.

Im not surpised that british people are doing the same. They've done it for generation each time thinsg were hard. They left for sunnier places (Whether it was australia etc...). This is even more the case for people with good training...
If I could I would have moved away too (but 2 teens in the middle of GCSE and A levels made it impossible) 2.5 more years.....

Ton where will you go?

May have missed it

I think for all our problems it's quite clear that some people have not truly seen the struggle in other countries and why so many people dream of setting up lives in the UK.

My mum left her home country & family behind at 16 to make a better life for herself so I'm fully aware that the grass isn't greener. However that doesn't detract from the fact we are facing difficult financial times (even before covid) & the burden will fall on the young & the ones already struggling.

Young immigrants will pay tax, maybe go home later or have kids. Life is dynamic

I'm not sure why anyone in London would feel that people leaving would be a problem. It's like a rats lair down there. Far too many people wedged into a small area.

I think because my parents are immigrants as are 90% of my friends parents immigration is not seen by us as this big scary thing, it's very normal. I presume someone who is English & has all their family historically going back in the same country feels differently.

People have always moved out of London to find cheaper housing - and other people move in to replace them.
This has been one shitty year - that was a lot less shitty in London than in many parts of the country. And London will bounce back.

There was a period when thatcher was in power that everyone who had an option went home. Whole districts changed. Fascinating

Maybe it's a cycle many parts of London including my hometown were not desirable at all in the 80s/90s.

I'd leave if I could too - and if I was younger/didn't have tied.

As someone who was attracted to London, as were many of my friends, from a place that is listed as the place to go. I don’t share the negativity but it is hard right now of course.

But outside that it’s a great city. If people leave so be it.

Also apart from city that I like are dc with great friends. With everything reduced they need them, to have a laugh etc. All the people leaving must feel ok about that part. Maybe young dc

And London will bounce back.

It will but I think the legacy of remote working will have a big impact.

Let’s be honest, we’re witnessing the final stage of the UK’s slide into anonymity and obscurity. Ironically, it’s people who lust after the days when we were the most powerful country in the world who’ve hammered the final nail in the coffin.

BraeburnPlace
Are you sure...even PWC have loads of offices in The Netherlands...English speaking, bilingual workforce, easy transport links...

I remember reading this from January 2020;

More than 1,400 EU-based firms have applied for permission to operate in the UK after Brexit, with over 1,000 of these planning to establish their first UK office, according to a Freedom of Information request (FOI) by financial regulatory consultancy Bovill. The FOI provides evidence that London and the UK will continue to be a leading player on the global financial stage after Brexit.

www.bovill.com/london-set-to-remain-financial-services-capital-of-europe-as-over-1000-eu-firms-plan-to-open-uk-offices/

People have always moved out of London to find cheaper housing - and other people move in to replace them.

No one is denying that but the population of London is now predicted to decline for the first time in decades.

@GambasPil

Let’s be honest, we’re witnessing the final stage of the UK’s slide into anonymity and obscurity. Ironically, it’s people who lust after the days when we were the most powerful country in the world who’ve hammered the final nail in the coffin.

I’m not ready to say this yet. I do think we’ll bounce back. Hard to imagine but we’re really severely restricted.

Not sure why this discussion is on the Coronavirus page. OP also seems to have left the building.

I was born and grew up in east London. I left when I went to university. I purposely chose to move away from there so I could experience life somewhere else. I went to university 250 miles away. I fell in love with my uni city straight away and within 6 months had decided that I wanted to live there permanently.
I then met my now husband so it worked out even better. We decided to try for a baby and I got pregnant. My family, well my mum especially convinced me to move back so I was with my family. (She was always jealous about the fact I'd moved away because she always wanted to and once had the chance but decided against it). So we moved back.
I hated being back in the place I always wanted to get away from, so within 7 months I decided I wanted us to go home (home being my uni city), and a few months later we did. We only lived back there for 10 months, 10 months too long for me. So we moved back home and couldn't be happier.
I have so many bad memories there it's nice to be away from it all. And for personal reasons I'm completely non contact with my family there so I'll never have to go back hopefully