If you are anywhere in the EU you can probably start a British limited company, even if helpful government officials say you should register with the local overpriced companies registry. In The Netherlands there are several law firms that specialize in this, and they charge about EUR 500. I imagine lawyers in other EU countries have figured out the same trick by now. One thing to keep in mind is that you may expose your company to being sued in the UK, but you probably should be avoiding getting sued anyway.