“I’d never go back”: the Liverpool couple who swapped rain and rising costs for a new life in Paphos

Nearly three quarters of young British people aged 18 to 30 are seriously considering leaving the UK, driven by high living costs, poor work-life balance, unaffordable childcare, and grey weather, according to a British Council survey cited in a feature by The i Paper.

The report, published in The i Paper’s “Expat Files” column, profiles a Liverpool couple who acted on exactly that impulse — and chose Cyprus. Liam Quirke, 28, and his partner Melanie, 26, moved to Paphos in May 2025 after Liam...