Member-only story
I’m British
But I Fled The UK At The First Opportunity
In the Spring of 2021, I resigned from my job, gave up my flat and put my belongings in storage, with a view to spending time with my parents in France. Prior to March 2020, I had been a regular on the Luton Airport to Geneva route, travelling back and forth to my childhood home. This year’s travel restrictions put an abrupt stop to my regular trips and accelerated my plans to relocate to Continental Europe post-Brexit and as it happens, in the middle of a global pandemic!
In ordinary times, I would have secured a new job before resigning from the old one and would have made arrangements for a smoother transition. However, these are far from normal times. My priority was to be reunited with my elderly parents after nearly 2 years in exile. As a British-born but a European-bred person, I’ve always thought of France and neighbouring Switzerland as Home. Even after spending almost 30 years in Britain, my feelings haven’t changed.
In fact, on a trip home via Geneva Airport about 3 years ago, I was really puzzled when the border guard asked me why I had travelled to Switzerland. I responded to him in my native French explaining that I was visiting my parents and that I’d grown up in the area. He handed my British passport back to me, nodding and waved me through.
