A British woman who has ditched the UK for southern Spain has pinned the reason for her move on the number of foreigners at home. Each year, nearly 900,000 Brits descend on the popular seaside resort of Benidorm on Spain’s east coast, and at least 3,400 of them never return – now accounting for a whopping 5% of the town’s population.
Tourists from the UK are often drawn to Benidorm for its vibrant nightlife, affordability and the fact that it’s largely a home away from home, with British-themed bars and restaurants and many English speakers, all with a much sunnier climate. But for one woman, none of the above played a big part in why she moved. A reporter from GB News flew the 1,500 miles to the tourist hotspot to ask British people why they decided to commit to the change of scenery. ” There’s too many foreigners in the UK,” the immigrant said, while sat outside in Benidorm’s Old Town. ” We lost our rights, freedom of speech went! I had enough, I ain’t doing it no more. I’m off. I thought, ‘nah’.”
“Britain lost the plot 20 years ago, sorry.”
Social media users did not miss the irony of her comments, and they were quick to share their own thoughts on the matter.
Alex Taylor, a British broadcaster working in France, wrote: “The sheer irony, the arrogance of it all. Sorry, but I’ve had it with treating people like this with kid gloves.
“Show me a video of them speaking fluent Spanish and I’ll eat a sombrero live on X!”
Another wrote: “Woman who moved to a foreign land complains about foreigners at home”.
Many also wondered whether the woman – who did not hold back in her criticism of Prime Minister Keir Starmer – was aware of the fact that Spain has a socialist government, headed by Pedro Sánchez and the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). Mr Sanchez is also not the biggest fan of British expats, revealing earlier this year that Spain is pushing ahead with plans to hit British people with a 100% tax on holiday homes.
“I wonder if they will learn the language or just sit in bars and fill their faces with an English Breakfast and a pint for five euros every morning,” another commented.
More than 18.4 million British people visited Spain last year – about one-quarter of the total population. However, one-fifth of British people “never” attempt to speak a country’s native language when going abroad, a 2024 poll discovered. Instead, more than half would rather point to a menu than attempt to say a non-English word.
This comes after a British woman vowed to never book with TUI again following a “nightmare” all-inclusive trip to Corfu, Greece, bemoaning “no English food” and entertainment at her hotel earlier this year. She was left incredibly disappointed after discovering the absence of British dishes at the hotel breakfast: “On a morning you could have toast, a hard-boiled egg, or something in sauce,” she said. “There was no bacon. For breakfast, there was mozzarella and sliced tomatoes. There was no hot bacon or sausage.”