I simply do not care about choices which may or may not have been made by voice actors in the past. Miles talking with a Received Pronunciation (RP) accent, also known as 'BBC English', or else a similar variant of Standard Southern British English (there is no such thing as a 'British accent') makes NO SENSE.
*Sets teacup down with quivering anger*
Okay, hyperbole aside, regardless of the localisation Miles is completely unconnected to England.
Now, it should be noted that in the strict canon of the games, it is a grey area as to whether he ever actually lived with the von Karmas or not. In the canon of the anime, which Shu Takumi had a hand in, this is made the case - however technically it's portrayed that this was still in Japan.
In any case, regardless of the localisation, the von Karmas are either American (in the original) or German. It is never stated where in America to my knowledge, though in the anime Miles appears to go to New York City after leaving the 'chooses death' note, and then later what I would assume to be Washington D.C (though, as mentioned above, the von Karma house is still in Japan).
Sure, there are ways you can do some extreme bending of circumstances to force an explanation or logic, but at that point you are creating a specific scenario counter to canon, because for some artistic reason you have actively decided you want him to have that accent, not just slotting in a neat supportive headcanon.
In all seriousness, I'm not saying this isn't a valid thing to do. I personally cannot fathom why people insist on this in such a fanon way, and if you cry 'it suits him' I think you should be forced to endure the company of an actual average English man for a few hours as punishment to challenge your assumption. To me, the concept is so unsupported by canon I find it painfully cringey, but that is merely my own opinion which, to be clear, does not or should not dictate what others do.
What I will add, though, is that even if you 5D chess some kind of 'explanation' for Miles changing his accent, there is still the factor of age. There is linguistic disagreement about precisely when accents become 'set' - you'll find some sources that say around 6-7, others which say later. Either way, by the time of the DL-6 incident, I think it is reasonable to assume Miles has a solid accent that I doubt is likely to change just from moving somewhere else, unless Miles was specifically actively attempting to put one on. I still find that there isn't really a compelling reason why he would want to do this, unless maybe copying Manfred von Karma (who in turn has no reason to artificially speak with an RP accent).
What I find weirdest about this is that once again, other than simply enjoying tea, Miles has no connection to England. You know who does, though, three times over? Phoenix.
His ancestor lived in London, even if only for a short period (As a sidenote, I think the voice acted segments in The Great Ace Attorney did a good job at portraying accent with a clear foreign influence)
According to Shu Takumi's vision, wanted to move there to pursue a Shakespearean acting career
Yet nobody is out here giving Phoenix an accent? Fix this! And make it a fun one. RP is overrated. Make him cockney for some reason. Or brummie, I think Phoenix could vibe with the dulcet brummie tones...
For what it's worth, I personally enjoy localised Miles with a slight German lilt. Non-localised universe Miles (or at least heavy on the Japan side of the 'japanifornia') has even more potential! How about giving English as a second language Miles a heavy Boston accent for funsies?
Sincerely, irritated Actually English person who formally revokes Miles Edgeworth's accent rights.
*Depending on your opinion about Phoenix Wright vs Professor Layton.
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