LONDON – The Hinduja brothers are once again the wealthiest people inBritain, according to The Sunday Times newspaper’s Rich List 2019.
London-based Sri and Gopi Hinduja, of the sprawling Hinduja Group ofcompanies, have a fortune worth £22.0 billion ($28.6 billion, 25.5 billioneuros), up £1.4bn on last year.
The Indian-born brothers previously topped the respected annual Rich List,which ranks the 1,000 wealthiest people in Britain, in 2014 and 2017.
Jim Ratcliffe, the boss of petrochemicals firm Ineos, fell from first placeto third after a reported £2.9bn drop to £18.15bn.
The list features a record 151 sterling billionaires with a combinedwealth of nearly £525 billion — a 9.2 percent rise on last year.
Inventor James Dyson reached his highest-ever position as he prepares tomove Dyson’s head office from England to Singapore.
The Brexit-backing businessman climbed seven places to become thefifth-richest person in Britain with an estimated £12.6 billion.
Queen Elizabeth II’s personal wealth — as apart from that tied to thecrown — remained at £370 million, making her the joint 356th-richestperson in her kingdom.
“We take the view that the Crown Estate belongs to the state and is not apersonal asset,” The Sunday Times said.
“Were it to be counted (as it once was), it is most likely that the queenwould still sit at — or be very close to — the top of the Rich List, aposition she occupied from 1989 to 1994.”
The sovereign is the 17th-wealthiest aristocrat in Britain, with the Dukeof Westminster and the Grosvenor family coming top with £10.1 billion. Theyown 300 acres (120 hectares) of prime central London.
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The 28-year-old duke topped the young rich list of people under 30, whichincluded singer Ed Sheeran in fifth place with £160m — the highest withoutinherited wealth — golfer Rory McIlroy sixth with £138m, footballer GarethBale seventh with £94m and actor Daniel Radcliffe eighth with £90m.
Footballer Sergio Aguero and singer Harry Styles rounded out the top 10with £58m.
Britain and Ireland’s wealthiest rock star fortunes are those of PaulMcCartney and his wife Nancy Shevell (£750m), U2 (£583m), Elton John(£320m) and Mick Jagger (£275m).
The Sunday Times said that after a year of turmoil on the stock market,the super-rich now feared the prospect of the main opposition Labour Partycoming to power and forming a hard-left government.
It said they were planning to pull billions of pounds out of Britain inthe event of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn becoming prime minister.
Prime Minister Theresa May’s “zombie government has convinced many ofBritain’s wealthy that an ardent Marxist is now within touching distance ofDowning Street,” the broadsheet said.
“We have spoken to individuals on this list who are now moving familytrusts overseas and arranging for properties to be owned by offshoreentities.”
– Rich List 2019 top 10 – £22.0bn — Sri and Gopi Hinduja (industry, finance) £18.7bn — David and Simon Reuben (property, internet) £18.2bn — Jim Ratcliffe (chemicals) £14.4bn — Len Blavatnik (investment, music, media) £12.6bn — James Dyson and family (household goods,technology) £12.3bn — Kirsten and Jorn Rausing (inheritance,investment) £12.0bn — Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken (inheritance,brewing, banking) £11.3bn — Alisher Usmanov (mining, investment) £11.2bn — Roman Abramovich (oil, industry) £10.9bn — Mikhail Fridman (industry). -APP/AFP
