Christopher Harborne, tycoon who gave £5m to Farage, enters UK rich list at No 6 | Rich lists

Crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, who controversially gifted Nigel Farage £5 million, has appeared on the list of Britain’s richest people for the first time.

According to the Sunday Times’ latest Rich List, first-time entrants include Noel, Liam Gallagher and Emily Eavis, daughter of Glastonbury festival founder Michael Eavis. Published on Friday.

Harborne, who gave the money to Farage weeks before the reform leader announced he would run in the 2024 general election, is estimated to be the UK’s sixth richest billionaire with an estimated fortune of £18.17bn.

He is also the richest British-born person in the Sunday Times’ list of the 350 richest people in the UK and Britons abroad.

David and Victoria Beckham, Labor donor Gary Lubner and sports promoters Barry and Eddie Hearn are also joining Britain’s billionaires club for the first time.

Farage said Harborne’s gift, first revealed by the Guardian, was intended to cover personal security costs and therefore did not need to be declared. On Thursday he appeared to change his tune, saying it was a “reward” for his 27-year campaign for Brexit after it was revealed Farage had bought a £1.4 million property in cash shortly after receiving the gift.

The parliamentary standards watchdog this week launched an investigation into whether the money from the Thailand-based businessman complied with rules requiring MPs to declare any potential gifts or donations received in the 12 months before entering parliament.

The Beckhams enter, David becomes Britain’s first billionaire athlete; The couple’s fortune is estimated to have doubled to £1.18bn last year, thanks to their stake in Inter Miami and a property empire adjacent to the US football club’s stadium.

It is estimated that the value of Victoria Beckham’s fashion brand has also increased. Following a recovery in financial performance after years of losses.

Lubner, who co-owns the group behind Autoglass and has donated more than £10 million to the Labor Party. He pledged to donate 95 per cent of his estimated £1.3bn fortune.

The Gallagher brothers made their debut on the list thanks to their comeback tour; The 41 shows played took in around £400 million, earning them an estimated fortune of £375 million.

Sanjay and Dheeraj Hinduja and their family top the list again this year, with a fortune worth £38 billion through Indian conglomerate Hinduja Group.

The total wealth of Britain’s 350 richest people and their families increased by 1.4 percent last year, reaching £784 billion. Britain’s total number of billionaires increased by just one to 157. The number of billionaires has fallen for three consecutive years after reaching 177 in 2022.

Robert Watts, compiler of the rich list, said the list has undergone significant change in the last few years. “This year’s rich list is a story of two migrations. One sixth of the people and families who were on the list two years ago are not included this time.

“Many foreign billionaires living in the UK have also left school because they have moved elsewhere. We have also seen a sharp increase in the number of British citizens now residing in Dubai, Switzerland and Monaco. As UK citizens, these people continue to feature on our rich list, no matter where they currently live.”

List of the 10 richest people in England

• Sanjay and Dheeraj Hinduja and family: £38 billion

• David and Simon Reuben and family: £27.971 billion

• Leonard Blavatnik: £26.852 billion

• Idan Ofer: £24.481 billion: £24.481 billion

• Guy, George, Alannah and Galen Weston and family: £18.939 billion

• Christopher Harborne: £18.177 billion

• Nik Storonsky: £16.411 billion

• Alex Gerko: £16.006 billion

• Jim Ratcliffe: £15.194 billion

• Igor and Dmitry Bukhman: £14.26 billion