The UK now has a record number of billionaires with 177, according to the new Sunday Times Rich List.
That’s up six from 2021 – and the combined wealth of the UK’s billionaires stands at £653bn, up more than £55bn (9.4%) on the total wealth of the billionaires in last year’s Rich List.
The London-based Hinduja brothers, Sri and Gopi, and family are the richest people in the UK with a £28bn fortune, which is up more than £11bn on last year.
It is the biggest fortune recorded in the 34 years of publication of the Rich List.
Overall, the richest 250 people in the UK this year are worth £710.723bn, compared to £658.089 billion in 2021, an 8% rise on last year.
AdvertisementIt comes as typical UK households come under increased financial pressure from inflation, which struck a 40-year-high of 9% in April.
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty made the list for the first time, as their joint £730m fortune put them at number 222.
It comes after the chancellor and his wife’s finances have come under intense scrutiny in recent months.
Last month, it was revealed that Ms Murty had non-dom status, which typically applies to someone who was born overseas and spends much of their time in the UK but still considers another country to be their permanent residence or “domicile”.
It has been estimated Ms Murty’s non-dom status could have saved her £20m in taxes on dividends from her shares in Infosys, an Indian IT company founded by her father.
She later agreed to pay UK tax on her worldwide income.
Read more: Who is Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty – and why are her family so wealthy?
Image: Chancellor Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata MurthyThese are the 20 richest people in the UK:
Sri and Gopi Hinduja and family – £28.47bn
Sir James Dyson and family – £23bn
David and Simon Reuben and family – £22.26bn
Sir Leonard Blavatnik – £20bn
Guillaume Pousaz – £19.26bn
Lakshmi Mittal and family – £17bn
Christoph Henkel and family – £15bn
Guy, George, Alannah and Galen Weston and family – £13.5bn
Kirsten and Jorn Rausing – £12bn
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken and Michel de Carvalho – £11.42bn
Michael Platt – £10bn
Alisher Usmanov – £10bn
The Duke of Westminster and the Grosvenor family – £9.73bn
Barnaby and Merlin Swire and family – £9.6bn
Marit, Lisbet, Sigrid and Hans Rausing – £9.49bn
Anil Agarwal – £9.2bn
Denise, John, and Peter Coates – £8.64bn
John Fredriksen and family – £8.31bn
Mikhail Fridman – £8.22bn
Moshe Kantor – £8bn
Image: Roman Abramovich dropped from eighth to 28th in rankingsOne notable absentee from the top of the list is Roman Abramovich.
The former Chelsea owner slid from eighth to 28th in rankings after his finances plummeted from £12.2bn last year to £6bn this year following sanctions, the enforced sale of Chelsea and the sharp fall in his Evraz shares.