Britain's richest man is Uzbek Arsenal owner Alisher Usmanov

A billionaire oligarch has been named Britain’s richest man as the staggering wealth of foreign billionaires based in London is laid bare.


Alisher Usmanov, who was born in Uzbekistan, owns almost one-third of Arsenal Football Club and is said to be worth £13.3billion.


Usmanov, 59, owns Sutton Place, the former Surrey home of the oil baron J. Paul Getty, as well as a £48million mansion in London.


He is married to Irina Viner, 64, the head coach of Russia’s rhythmic gymnastics team.



Vast wealth: Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, pictured with his wife Irina Viner, is Britain's richest man

While the latest Sunday Times Rich List is dominated by obscure foreign-born businessmen, there are also household names such as actors Sacha Baron Cohen and Daniel Craig, who both appear on the list for the first time.


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Mr Usmanov, who occupies the top spot, served six years in a Soviet jail in the Eighties after being convicted of fraud and extortion, although his conviction was later overturned.


According to the Rich List, his wealth has increased thanks to his Russian business empire which started with making plastic bags and includes the production of iron ore, an internet company and a controlling share in Russia’s second biggest mobile phone firm.

He replaces steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, who now drops to fourth place after eight years in the top spot.


The steel magnate, now worth £10billion, is the biggest faller in wealth terms.

The 40 per cent stake he and his wife Usha hold in the steelmaking giant ArcelorMittal has plummeted from £28billion at its peak to £5.95billion.

In second place is Russian-born Len Blavatnik, whose rise in wealth from £3.4billion last year to £11 billion this year, makes him the highest riser in wealth terms.

Mr Blavatnik owns Warner Music, and received £2billion last month for his stake in Russian oil project TNK-BP.

Third place goes to Sri and Gopi Hinduja who made their £10.6billion in industry and finance.

The list highlights the dominance of foreign oligarchs who have bought up swathes of Central London, with only one British-born person in the top 10 - the Duke of Westminster is is eighth place thanks to his £7.8billion fortune.

And most of the wealthiest figures are men, with Britain's richest woman being Kirsty Bertarelli, who as Kirsty Roper came second in 1988's Miss World pageant before marrying Swiss pharmaceutical boss Ernest Bertarelli, with whom she shares a net worth of £7.4billion.

Lower down the list, one notable new entry is financial expert Martin Lewis, 40, who has obviously been following his own advice as he has amassed wealth of £60million.






Stars: Hollywood actors Daniel Craig and Sacha Baron Cohen have both entered the list for the first time






Entrepreneurs: Virgin boss Richard Branson, right, is a fixture on the list, and has now been joined by Mashable founder Pete Cashmore, right, who is worth £60million at the age of 27




Landowner: The highest placed UK-born person is the Duke of Westminster, who is worth £7.8billion and ranked eighth

The list of richest Britons under 30 is dominated by inherited wealth - but it also features a number of internet whizkids and glamorous young entertainers.

Daniel Ek, the 30-year-old Spotify boss, Pete Cashmore, 27, founder of Mashable, and 29-year-old Sam Barnett, who set up online advertising firm Struq have each been valued at more than £50million.

Daniel Radcliffe, Robert Pattinson and Adele are also in the top 20 on the youth list thanks to their successful showbiz careers.


The number of billionaires in the UK has increased ten-fold since the Sunday Times Rich List was first published in 1989, shooting from nine to 88. There were 77 last year.

According to the list, the 1,000 richest people in Britain have wealth totalling almost £450billion - up nearly eight per cent on last year, a sign that the top ranks of society are prospering despite mass unemployment and the threat of a triple-dip recession.


The combined wealth of the top 200 people is £318.2billion, a more than eightfold rise on the £38billion for the combined wealth of the 200 people featured in the first list.

In 1989, the Queen topped the list with total wealth of £5.2billion. This valuation included all the Crown Estates and the royal art collection. In later years, the Queen has been valued solely on her personal wealth and no longer topped the list after 1993.


Roman Abramovich, who owns Arsenal’s rivals Chelsea and amassed his fortune through Russian oil and aluminium, is ranked as the fifth richest resident with £9.3billion – £200million down on last year.






Tycoons: Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich (left) is the UK's fifth richest man, while steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal (right) drops to fourth place after eight years in the top spot


20 RICHEST PEOPLE IN 2013, ACCORDING TO THE SUNDAY TIMES RICH LIST



2013 rank (2012 rank), name, source of wealth, 2013 wealth (2012 wealth)

1. (2) Alisher Usmanov, mining and investment, £13,300m (£12,315m)


2. (5) Len Blavatnik, investment, music and media, £11,000m (£7,580m)


3. (4) Sri and Gopi Hinduja, industry and finance, £10,600m (£8,600m)


4. (1) Lakshmi Mittal and family, steel, £10,000m (£12,700m)


5. (3) Roman Abramovich, oil and industry, £9,300m (£9,500m)


6. (9), John Fredriksen and family, shipping and oil services, £8,800m (£6,600m)


7. (8) David and Simon Reuben, property and internet, £8,281m (£7,083m)


8. (7) The Duke of Westminster, property, £7,800m (£7,350m)


9. (6) Ernesto and Kirsty Bertarelli, pharmaceuticals, £7,400m (£7,400m)


10. (11) Charlene and Michel de Carvalho, inheritance, brewing and banking, £7,000m (£5,490m)


11. (10) Galen and George Weston and family, retailing, £6,650m (£5,900m)


12. (15) Kirsten and Jorn Rausing, inheritance and investment, £5,109m (£3,900m)


13.(12) Hans Rausing and family, packaging, ££4,720m (£4,300m)


14.(13) Joseph Lau, property, £4,600m (£4,140m)


15, (new) Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber and family, hotels, food and industry, £4,515m


16, (17=) Sir Philip and Lady Green, retailing, £3,880m (£3,300m)


17. (14) Nicky Oppenheimer, diamonds and mining, £3,785m (£4,050m)


18. (19) Earl Cadogan and family, property, £3,675m (£3,225m)


19. (16) Sir Richard Branson and family, transport and finance and fitness clubs, £3,514m (£3,410m)


20. (21) Joe Lewis, foreign exchange and investment, £3,200m (£3,000m)