Why are Britons migrating to....France?

It seems bizarre that righteous British people would willingly belittle themselves to the same level as the French. Historically we've hated each other, and the global French stereotype still exists. Yet, somehow, perhaps worryingly, some 250,000 Britons are said to be living in France. Let’s investigate some of the pull factors that lure Brits, “les sujets de sa gracieuse majesté” as French tabloids like to brand them, from our green and pleasant land.

The first factor that immediately comes to mind is climate. Britain has lots of rain. Although in northern parts of France the climate is, too, temperate, and indeed in western parts you might even get more rain than Britain, in the south you get Mediterranean sunshine, and central parts are generally milder. Even though winter is quite cold, it’s still dry. On average, London gets 110 rainy days a year; Marseille only gets 53. Moving to a place that’s half as rainy and twice as sunny as Britain can’t be too bad.

This favourable climate also attracts tourists to France. Indeed, when questioned, many British expats cited previous tourist experiences in France as the main motive for migrating permanently. Because of the tourism, some Britons migrate to France for entrepreneurial reasons, to provide British-friendly tourist services (lucrative business considering that France is the world’s most popular holiday destination, and is visited by a third of Britain’s population each year). Ski resorts are an evident example. Business, however, is not limited simply to profiting from sightseers. Many make a living by selling authentic British products or promoting authentic British culture in France. Whether selling pots of marmite or opening up a fish and chip shop, the French are surprisingly interested in the way the British live their lives.

Culture also plays a part. Most emigrants end up in rural areas, such as the Lot, in the Midi-Pyrenees region. Existence here is tranquil, sharply contrasting with the busy urban lifestyles you might associate with British cities. You are legally entitled 8 more days of holiday each year. Life is so much more traditional; no supermarkets monopolising food supply, rarely any instances of traffic congestion, and no fear of being run over by a lorry driver if you decide to go cycling. Generally, the scenery isn’t too bad either. There are barely any mountain ranges or sets of rolling hills in Britain, and where they do exist they are infested with tourists. Contrarily, France has plenty of untouched picturesque landscape to offer. This is attractive, especially to the elderly searching for a place to retire.

Living costs in France are much lower than in Britain. The lower property prices (barely anybody rents or has a mortgage), cheaper bills and lower prices of supermarket products, coupled with the devaluation of savings and pensions as a result of depreciation in the value of the pound since 2008, has incentivised emigration. The lack of an NHS isn't too much of a problem; there is guaranteed health insurance for early retirees, and government health spending as a proportion of GDP is the highest in Western Europe (11%). This is perhaps an alternative explanation as to why the demographic of British migrants is dominated by the elderly.

The language barrier isn't as considerable a problem as one might expect. Not only are most frenchmen (as most people on Earth are nowadays) competent with English, but the similarities of the languages mean french is surprisingly easy to pick up. Moreover, there often isn't even a need to be able to understand or speak French; the internet can come surprisingly handy. Even so, being surrounded by french people isn't a disaster; one Briton, when asked, said the main reason he moved his family to France was so his children could be fluent in two different languages from an early age.

One surprising push factor is personal circumstances. Research by the University of York shows that a large number of Brits emigrated to “start a new life” elsewhere. Removing themselves from Britain and immersing themselves in a totally foreign culture, that isn't too foreign to be inconvenient, has been a reason cited by many British expats in France.

Yet the most obvious factor must be location. Whether travelling by ferry, train or Ryanair. France is now as accessible as most of Britain, and the competitiveness of the international transport market means fares are now affordable to all. Yes, that’s right: Ryanair is actually beneficial! Convenience of travel has more benefits than the obvious one; relatives wishing to visit can come relatively easily, and transport costs for businesses aren’t too high (being a part of the European Union also helps in this regard).

All this might be making you think how miserable Britain is and how wonderful France is, so perhaps it’s worth ending on a happier note. There are more British emigrants in France than there are french immigrants in Britain. Indeed, there are more frenchmen in London alone than the there are Brits in the whole of France. France may have its pull factors, but Britain (thankfully) remains on top. Rule Britannia!