Gopichand Hinduja, who led Britain’s richest business dynasty, dies aged 85

Gopichand Hinduja, the head of England’s richest family, died at the age of 85.

The billionaire industrialist died in London on Tuesday, according to a spokesman for the British-Indian business community.

He and his family topped the Sunday Times’ latest Rich List, with a net worth of £35.3bn.

The family said in a statement: “It will leave a deep hole in our family’s hearts.

“He will also be remembered for his amazing work.”

Mr. Hinduja and his family made their fortune from the Mumbai-based conglomerate Hinduja Group, which spans business sectors such as banking and finance, media, entertainment and energy and has about 200,000 employees worldwide.

The group’s chairman, commonly known as “GP”, was the eldest of four brothers who controlled the business for decades.

His elder brother Srihand died in 2023 at the age of 87 after suffering from dementia.

It is not known who will now take over the leadership of the group, but youngest sibling Ashok has operations across India, including truck maker Ashok Leyland.

The Hindujas also own significant real estate in London, including St James’s Park and a number of large houses near Winston Churchill’s Old War Office in Whitehall, which was recently renovated to include a hotel.

Mr Hinduja largely stayed out of the public eye but came under controversy in 2001 as part of the Hinduja Affair, which led to Lord Peter Mandelson resigning as an MP.

The scandal concerned a letter Gopichand wrote to Mr Mandelson about obtaining a UK passport for his brother Prakash after the group’s charity, the Hinduja Foundation, donated £1 million to the Millennium Dome.

As a result, Mr Mandelson resigned, but was later cleared of wrongdoing following an investigation.