Former Dragons’ Den star Duncan Bannatyne today sprang to the defence of British expats and influencers in Dubai.

The 77-year-old insisted the city is ‘perfectly safe’, despite it being targeted by Iran’s suicide drone bombardment following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint US and Israeli airstrikes on Saturday.

The entrepreneur, who lives in Portugal, rowed online with critics who slammed Brits for ‘moving to Dubai to avoid paying tax…but now rely on UK taxpayers to help them in their time of need.’

The British government has drawn up plans to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Britons from the Middle East, with 94,000 – the vast majority of which are tourists – registering their contact details with the Foreign Office.

Mr Bannatyne said most of those asking for help are not influencers or expats who live there permanently, but travellers caught up in the chaos that has seen thousands of flights cancelled and airspace closed for two days.

In a reply to one person online this morning, he said: ‘Not one Dubai resident has expressed a desire to leave as far as I know. The British that need to vacate are on holiday or on business in Dubai.’

To another, he said: ‘No matter how much you want it to be different Dubai is perfectly safe & nobody is running away from it.’

He was joined by Sam Palmer, the husband of Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone, who asked why people have so much hate for the city and that people are ‘laughing’ at those caught in the crossfire.

Influencer Sam Palmer, who has over 55,000 Instagram followers, posted a video on Monday morning asking why people have so much hate for Dubai

Some influencers were accused of making light of the missile bombardment on social media

Since Saturday, Tehran has launched retaliation strikes on Israel and Gulf states across the Middle East, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, after the US and Israeli attacks.

Four people were injured when the five-star Fairmont hotel on Palm Jumeirah was set ablaze on Saturday after it was hit by an Iranian missile.

The Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building – was evacuated with fears it could be a target and UK tourists hid in basements while missiles flew overhead as panic spread through the city, home to more than 240,000 Britons.

However, despite the imminent danger posed by Iran and its refusal to surrender to Donald Trump’s ultimatum, Dubai’s influencers are still keen to paint a rosy image of the city.  

Ecclestone had posted a tearful video of herself in Dubai over the weekend, in which she described Saturday as ‘one of the worst, most scary nights’ of her life.

Today Palmer, who married the billionaire heiress in 2022 and has over 55,000 Instagram followers, took aim at people who people who have spent the last couple of days gloating at those stuck in Dubai.

Sitting in the sun and speaking to the camera he said: ‘I cannot believe some of the comments I’ve received regarding Dubai and obviously what’s going on at the moment.

‘And it seems like because people have moved to Dubai other people around the world are laughing because this has happened, like “Ah, that’s what you get for leaving England”.’

Made In Chelsea star Miles Nazaire, 30, who relocated to Dubai in January received criticism after posting a video of himself in his pants getting ready for a date on Saturday as missiles rained down on Dubai

Made In Chelsea star Miles Nazaire, 30, who relocated to Dubai in January received criticism after posting a video of himself in his pants getting ready for a date on Saturday as missiles rained down on Dubai.

In response, the reality TV star turned influencer, who has more than 444,000 Instagram followers, turned his comments off and posted an explanation on his story.

Seemingly agitated by the backlash, he said: ‘Ok, I’m just going to say this now, because I’m getting some ridiculous comments on my latest video and I want to clear something up.

‘I was posting my video yesterday in the morning and then I lost service so Instagram wasn’t uploading and I went off my phone.

‘We went to play padel and it didn’t load up, so it loaded up when I got home whilst the missiles hit, so I don’t believe – I’m responding to certain comments – I’m not being insensitive. 

‘It was a video I had edited that morning and posted and it wasn’t posting and unfortunately it went live as everything was going on. 

‘I just want to clear that up, I’m not posting some random content to be like “Ah, look, don’t really care what’s going on in Dubai”. 

‘I live here now and I saw the missiles, so I know what’s going on, so yeah, just to clear that up.’

Personal trainer and influencer Alice Liveing, who is in Dubai at the moment, posted she was ‘safe but very scared’

Influencer Will Bailey took to Instagram to detail how he was getting no sleep with the attack going on outside 

However, Mr Nazaire did not delete the ‘get ready with me’ video, and instead went on to post more stories showing the padel court and another complaining about a neck injury he suffered whilst doing ju-jitsu.

On TikTok, a couple were dubbed ‘pretentious’ after posting a video of themselves casually strolling through Dubai on Sunday with the caption ‘Us normally walking in Dubai, while missiles are flying in the air’.

‘The pretentious influencers are milking this Dubai situation,’ one angry commenter wrote.

Another said: ‘This is embarrassing’, whilst a third wrote: ‘I can’t explain but this is exactly how I imagine the kind of people that visit Dubai willingly.’

‘They have to pretend it’s nothing or all their previous stance on it being the safest place on earth goes down the drain,’ a fourth quipped.

Meanwhile, model Hofit Golan and influencer Will Bailey both expressed disappointment over what was meant to be the ‘safest city in the world’.

Personal trainer and author Alice Liveing, who is in Dubai at the moment with her baby, posted she was ‘safe but very scared’.

The influencer, who was visiting the country when the conflict broke out, said she was ‘desperately waiting for news to get us out of here’ in a post on Monday morning.

The Palm Jumeirah Fairmont hotel was hit by an Iranian suicide drone launched hours after US and Israeli air strikes hit Tehran

Socialite Petra Ecclestone described the horror of the night as explosions echoed across the city

But as the influencers shared their fear, many online showed little sympathy with one user sneering: ‘Don’t all the lovely influencers move to Dubai because it’s so safe. I’ve never been hit by an Iranian missile on my way to Asda.’

Another wrote: ‘I don’t feel bad for any influencers or content creators that are currently stuck in Dubai. We told you to stop going there.’

A third added: ‘Suddenly Dubai isn’t a flex anymore for the wannabe Instagram influencers.’

Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison revealed she and her partner are now ‘stuck in Dubai’.

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Dubai is rocked by further explosions as Iran launches fresh attacks across Middle East

In a post on her Instagram story, she wrote: ‘Ercan and I were due to fly to Sydney this evening. But like many others our flight was cancelled and we are now effectively stuck in Dubai’, she wrote.

‘We’re receiving a lot of messages from people asking if we’re ok which we are. We are currently in our hotel and have been assured we’re safe.

‘We are aware that the situation that is unfolding is scary and I’m also aware that there’s a lot of videos circulating on social media which are understandably concerning.

‘I’m not sure what else to say, other than we’re doing our best to stay calm, not feed any unconfirmed narratives and we’re thinking of everyone who is feeling unsettled and unsafe right now’.

Socialite Petra Ecclestone described the horror of the night as explosions echoed across the city.

‘We fled one place searching for peace, and last night reminded us how fragile that feeling of safety can be. It was terrifying. But we are safe, we are together, and we are holding our kids extra close today. Grateful beyond words.’

Boxer Amir Khan hasn’t spoken out publicly yet but has posted on his story the guidance for British nationals in the UAE.

Influencer Will Bailey posted videos of missiles being intercepted over Dubai over the weekend

Whereas high-profile couple who moved to Dubai last year, Rio Ferdinand and Kate Ferdinand, have yet to be heard from.

Just hours before the strikes, Love Island star Arabella Chi had been playing on the beach with her daughter: ‘Dubai friends. Scary times. Stay safe,’ she wrote.

Also posting from the city was Sophia Peschisolido, who lives in Dubai with her husband and two children: ‘I never imagined I’d experience the sound of a bomb exploding. So scary. Omg.’

She later added: ‘I just witnessed what appeared to be a missile flying over my house, it’s surreal this is actually happening. It sounds like a warzone outside. We’re scared but thankfully safe. Thank you for all the messages. We’re okay for now.’

Model Hofit Golan, 40, shared chilling footage from her hotel balcony showing rockets and explosions after arriving in Dubai just hours earlier.

Hofit recalled: ‘I heard loud explosions and I thought ‘I can’t believe it I am in the safest city in the world and I can’t believe this is happening’.

‘Of course I am frightened. It is a natural reaction. The UAE is supposed to be one of the safest places.

‘You see it (explosions) in front of your balcony. You see fireworks usually but that’s a different kind of lighting of the skies.’

Laura Anderson, 36, who landed in the early hours of Saturday with her two-year-old daughter, reassured followers: ‘Horrendous situation. Bonnie and I are fine.’

She later added: ‘Today we heard the bombs – multiple loud explosions, the house shaking – and for the first time the kids heard it too/ And honestly that’s the moment it stops being news and starts feeling real’.

As Iran’s retaliation intensified, the UAE announced it had ‘partially and temporarily’ closed its airspace as a precaution, leaving thousands of tourists stranded.

Dubai International Airport shut down amid global flight chaos, with smoke seen rising from the area this morning.

Authorities in Dubai were last night reported to be threatening residents with fines of up to £40,000 or prison for sharing videos of the strikes, severely limiting information coming out of the city.

British influencer Will Bailey, who has just landed in Dubai and was sitting poolside at the hotel, said: ‘That was metres away from us. Look at this.

‘That is the Fairmont hotel in Dubai. Oh my God, oh my God.’

He added: ‘Oh my days, over the beach club is f****** mental. Literally directly above us. That is insane. They were so loud. I have no words. In the safest city in the world. Wow.’

Missiles fired from Tehran have struck US military bases in Qatar, a UK military base in Cyprus and have also hit Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Bahrain and Israel, as Iran vowed to unleash its ‘most intense offensive operation in history’.

The attacks followed confirmation from Tehran that Ali Khamenei had been killed in joint US-Israeli strikes alongside members of his family and senior military figures.

UK citizens have been urged to shelter by the British embassy in Doha, while Qatar also warned residents via an alert to stay indoors and away from military bases.

The UK withdrew its diplomatic staff from Iran on Friday due to security worries, while staff in the British embassy in Tel Aviv and their dependents have been moved to another location by the Foreign Office.

The UK Government said its priority is ‘the safety of UK nationals’ in the Middle East but that it is ‘ready to protect our interests’.

A Government spokesperson yesterday said: ‘Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and that is why we have continually supported efforts to reach a negotiated solution.

‘Our immediate priority is the safety of UK nationals in the region and we will provide them with consular assistance, available 24/7.

‘As part of our longstanding commitments to the security of our allies in the Middle East, we have a range of defensive capabilities in the region, which we have recently bolstered. We stand ready to protect our interests.

‘We do not want to see further escalation into a wider regional conflict.’