Chancellor Rachel Reeves has reduced the level of inheritance\u2011tax relief available when family businesses are passed to the next generation, while introducing provisions allowing individuals to fall outside the inheritance\u2011tax net entirely if they live abroad for at least 10 years.<\/p>\n
Despite the departures, Britain continues to attract entrepreneurs from overseas, with 3,182 business owners relocating to the UK over the same period.<\/p>\n
That leaves a net outflow of 2,758 business owners, according to Rathbones\u2019 analysis.<\/p>\n
Separate data shows Britain recorded a net loss of 16,500 millionaires last year, representing $91.8billion in investable wealth.<\/p>\n
Advisers say the appeal of destinations such as Dubai extends beyond tax policy.<\/p>\n
![\"Rachel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771874049_542_rachel-reeves.jpg\")
Nearly 6,000 business owners have left Britain in two years <\/p>\n
| <\/p>\n
GETTY<\/p>\n
Ali Janoudi, partner and head of new markets at Lombard Odier Group, said: \u201cBeyond tax efficiency, Dubai offers political stability, regulatory clarity and a business environment built around growth.<\/p>\n
“At the same time, safety, education and overall quality of life matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michelle White, head of private office at Rathbones, said interest in relocation is rising among younger business owners.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are talking to more individuals and families, particularly younger business owners considering relocation in search of better opportunities, more favourable tax environments and more optimism about long\u2011term growth prospects,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
![\"Dubai,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dubai-uae.jpg\")
Dubai offers political stability and regulatory clarity according to experts<\/p>\n
| GETTY<\/p>\n
Eamon Shahir, co\u2011founder of Taxd, said interest from entrepreneurs and younger Britons considering a move to the Emirates had increased.<\/p>\n
“In the UK, the core market for the Government is not business owners, that is obvious. Whereas in the UAE, there is a lot of focus on entrepreneurs,” he said.<\/p>\n
Broader economic conditions are also influencing decisions.<\/p>\n
David Little, partner in financial planning at Evelyn Partners, said: “A steady stream of entrepreneurs and business owners have passed through Heathrow on the way to Dubai, Lisbon, Milan or Miami, reflecting a broader unease about the UK\u2019s direction.”<\/p>\n
![\"Keir](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771874050_754_keir-starmer.jpg\")
Labour have been accused of “clearly not prioritising business owners”<\/p>\n
| <\/p>\n
GETTY<\/p>\n
He cited sluggish growth, subdued investment and persistently flat productivity since the pandemic, adding that signs of weakness were now emerging in the labour market.<\/p>\n
Mr Little said a cooling economy can create a more challenging environment for risk\u2011taking, with implications for hiring decisions and consumer confidence.<\/p>\n
However, analysts note that not all entrepreneurs who explore relocation ultimately leave the UK.<\/p>\n
Nick Ritchie, senior director at RBC Wealth Management, said older business owners are often deterred by family commitments and established social ties, while younger entrepreneurs with fewer attachments and capital\u2011light operations are generally more mobile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Britain has seen nearly 6,000 business owners leave the country over the past two years amid sweeeping tax…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":441662,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[84,1294,2222,50,229,1445,474,56,44208,54,55],"class_list":["post-441661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-money","tag-news","tag-politics","tag-rachel-reeves","tag-tax","tag-uk","tag-uk-politics","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=441661"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441661\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/441662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=441661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=441661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=441661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}