Bronzed Brits hit 22c Benidorm’s sun-soaked beaches during UK’s final hours in the EU
BRITS soaked up the winter sun on the beaches of Benidorm today in the UK’s final hours as a member of the European Union.
The Brexit transition period means very little will change for these sun seekers as the UK leaves the 28-member block at 11pm tonight.
Experts who feared demand for property in Spain would be “decimated” after the 2016 referendum say it has held up well.
Britons already living legally in Spain have been guaranteed access to the public healthcare system and the right to stay after Brexit.
Mark Stucklin, the head of the Spanish Property Insight website, told the Mail Online he was “really surprised” how well British demand had stood up since the referendum.
“I thought it would be absolutely decimated,” he said.
But expats fear Brexit could erode the value of the pound – cutting their pensions once they are converted to euros.
BREXIT IN BENIDORM
Karen Watling, 73, and her husband are concerned about declining property values in the region, in part due to lower demand from British buyers.
The couple sold their home in England to move to Orihuela Costa in Alicante province with her husband after she retired from her teaching job 17 years ago, and fear they will not be able to buy in the UK again.
But other Britons have shrugged off Brexit concerns, arguing it was in both Madrid and London’s interests to ensure that British pensioners stayed in Spain.
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“If life out here for expats like myself got more difficult and we decided to go home, that would devastate the Spanish economy,” said Malcolm Cavendish, a 76-year-old retired butcher.
“And it would make a mess of things back in the UK because the UK couldn’t cope,” said the Spanish resident, who supported Brexit at the 2016 referendum.