Sunday Times Rich List 2023: Richest Scouser in history and wealthiest person in North West revealed

The richest person in the North West has today (May 19) been revealed in the new edition of The Sunday Times Rich List. The annual list reveals the wealth of the 350 richest people in Britain, including the richest Liverpudlian in history and the 35 wealthiest people under the age of 35.

Three decades after mortgaging his house for £140,000 to do his first big deal, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is the richest person in North West England and is now estimated to be the biggest private energy operator in the North Sea. Ranking number two on the main Rich List, with a £29.688bn fortune, the 70-year-old’s chemical business, Ineos, saw profits grow exponentially when energy prices rocketed and Europe shivered at the start of the Ukraine conflict.

Tom Morris, the low-profile tycoon behind budget retailer Home Bargains, has been crowned the wealthiest Liverpudlian in history and saw sales increase to £3.4 billion last year. The son of a shopkeeper, Morris started the outfit in Old Swan in his early twenties and his chain of 575 stores now employs nearly 30,000 people.

Home Bargains paid out a £30 million dividend to him and his family last year, making Morris the wealthiest Scouser in history, worth an incredible £6.133bn.

Overall, the richest 350 people in the UK this year are worth a staggering £796.459 billion.

The Sunday Times Rich List 2023: The Five Wealthiest in the North West

1. Sir Jim Ractliffe (Ineos): £29.688bn - up by £23.613bn since 2022.
2. Michael Platt (BlueCrest Capitals): £11.5bn - up by 1.5bn since 2022.
3. The Duke of Westminster and the Grosvenor family (Grosvenor Group): £9.878bn - up by £152m since 2022.
4. Tom Morris and family (Home Bargains): £6.133bn - up by £1.006bn since 2022.
5. Mohsin and Zuber Issa (fuel distribution and supermarkets): £5.05bn - up by £302m since 2022.

The Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, who inherited his title and a vast land and property portfolio when he was 25, also tops the Wealthiest 35 Under 35 list. Notable celebrities featured on the list include Ed Sheeran, Adele, Anthony Joshua, Harry Styles and Dua Lipa.

Top 20 richest people in the UK, according to Sunday Times

1. Gopi Hinduja and family – £35 billion
2. Sir Jim Ratcliffe – £29.7 billion
3. Sir Leonard Blavatnik – £28.6 billion
4. David and Simon Reuben and family – £24.4 billion
5. Sir James Dyson and family – £23 billion
6. Lakshmi Mittal and family – £16 billion
7. Guy, George, Alannah and Galen Weston and family – £14.5 billion
8. Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken and Michel de Carvalho – £13.1 billion
9. Kirsten and Jorn Rausing – £12 billion
10. Michael Platt – £11.5 billion
11. The Duke of Westminster and the Grosvenor family – £9.9 billion
12. Marit, Lisbet, Sigrid and Hans Rausing – £9.3 billion
13. Andy Currie – £9.2 billion
14. John Reece – £9.1 billion
15. Alex Gerko – £9.1 billion
16. Denise, John and Peter Coates and family – £8.8 billion
17. Anders Holch Povlsen £8.5 billion
18. Barnaby and Merlin Swire and family – £8.4 billion
19. John Fredriksen and family – £8.3 billion
20. Mikhail Fridman – £8.2 billion

Find out more by visiting The Sunday Times website.