Expat influencers sold Dubai to the world and were paid to look the other way. Now the dream is crumbling | Brigid Delaney

The Maseratis are borrowed, the helicopters rented by the hour. But deep down Dubai is a lonely place, built by oppressed people

For people living in close proximity to a war zone, the lack of sympathy for Australian and British expats and influencers in Dubai has been, on the face of it, curious.

Since their adopted home was bombed in the initial days of the war, they have faced mostly ridicule and contempt in their home countries.

In the UK, the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, called out “tax exiles and washed-up old footballers” in Dubai who “mock ordinary Brits” but now expect the UK military to rescue them.

On Good Morning Britain, presenter Susanna Reid asked: if Brits moved to Dubai to avoid paying tax, shouldn’t they pay for their own evacuation?