Hindujas top 2019 list of Britain’s wealthiest

LONDON: The Hinduja brothers are once again the wealthiest people in Britain, according to The Sunday Times newspaper’s Rich List 2019.

London-based Sri and Gopi Hinduja, of the sprawling Hinduja Group of companies, have a fortune worth £22.0 billion, 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 place to third after a reported £2.9bn drop to £18.15bn. The list features a record 151 sterling billionaires with a combined wealth of nearly £525 billion -- a 9.2 percent rise on last year.

Inventor James Dyson reached his highest-ever position as he prepares to move Dyson’s head office from England to Singapore. The Brexit-backing businessman climbed seven places to become the fifth-richest person in Britain with an estimated £12.6 billion.

Queen Elizabeth II’s personal wealth -- as apart from that tied to the crown -- remained at £370 million, making her the joint 356th-richest person in her kingdom. "We take the view that the Crown Estate belongs to the state and is not a personal asset," The Sunday Times said.