Britain’s wealthiest ‘Gypsy billionaire’ has raked in £200 million in one single year, making the Sunday Times Rich List once again. Alfie Best is best known for running a holiday property empire, including more than 100 residential mobile home parks across the UK, and several in the US.
The self-styled ‘Gypsy billionaire’ jumped 58 places in this year’s rich list, from 232 to 174. The 54-year-old is the chairman and founder of caravan park titan Wyldecrest Parks.
He was also the owner of non-league East Thurrock United, before the semi-pro football club folded in September 2023. The dad-of-two’s property portfolio also includes £30million worth of property in London, 10 rental villas in Barbados, and a Herefordshire golf course.
According to this year’s rich list, Mr Best’s wealth soared from £745million in 2023 to £947million this year. This means he is well on his way to becoming Britain’s first-ever Romany Gypsy billionaire.
However, like many of Britain’s wealthiest, Mr Best recently decided to quit the UK. Last month, the property tycoon moved to the tax haven of Monaco, joining Sir Lewis Hamilton, Sir Philip Green and Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
He is currently renting a two-bedroom flat in Monaco overlooking the Formula One course until he gets residency in the city-state, where residents don’t pay taxes.
Mr Best said that Britain needs to “wake up” and blasted politicians for wasting the “golden opportunity” of Brexit.
Mr Best told The Sunday Times: “We are losing wealth creators. Our tax system and business regulations are sterilising the few strong people who build economies.
“We need these people to start businesses and create jobs. Brexit was a golden opportunity to create a fast-growing pro-entrepreneur environment. That chance has been completely squandered.
“I thought Rishi Sunak would be like a second Jesus for our country — encouraging the wealth creators. There was someone who understood business and was married into a wealthy family. How wrong I was.”
Meanwhile, the Hinduja brothers retained the title of the UK’s richest people with an estimated fortune of £37.2bn, up from £35bn last year.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the founder of the petrochemicals company Ineos, was named as the biggest loser on the list, with a £6.2bn loss in his fortune to £29.7bn.
This year’s list marked the largest fall in the number of billionaires – from 177 to 165 – in its history.
Still, the richest 350 individuals and families together hold a combined wealth of £795.4bn – a sum larger than the annual GDP of Poland.
It comes as the UK continues to grapple with a cost-of-living crisis, with new figures this week revealing a record 3.1 million food bank parcels were distributed over the course of a year.
This year’s rich list includes Graham King, who became the country’s 221st rich person. He has amassed a vast £750 million from putting up asylum seekers in his holiday parks.
Tony Blair’s eldest son Euan Blair also made his debut on the list, and has amassed a fortune of around £328m more than his esteemed father.