THE number of billionaires in Britain has doubled since 2010, while living standards for ordinary workers have been squeezed, according to a TUC analysis of the Sunday Times Rich List.

There were just nine billionaires when the list began in 1989 — there are now 157.

The average wealth of a Rich List member is more than 7,600 times higher than the average British household.

Meanwhile, real wages have grown by just 4.5 per cent since 2010 — 0.3 per cent a year — while the number of people in poverty has barely changed, rising from 13 million to 13.4 million.

Insecure work has increased by 800,000 since 2011.

The TUC is calling for an increase in capital gains tax and a windfall tax on banks, arguing that those with “the broadest shoulders” must pay their fair share.

Recent polling found that three-quarters of British millionaires would be willing to pay more tax to remain in Britain.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “We need an economy that rewards work, not just wealth.

“Under the Conservatives the wealthiest were allowed to feather their nests, while working people suffered an epidemic of insecure work and the worst pay stagnation in two centuries.

“Clearly, wealth has not trickled down — it has been hoarded by those at the top.

“With ordinary people struggling to pay the bills, it’s time for billionaires to pay their fair share in tax to protect households and firms from the effects of [US President] Donald Trump’s illegal war.”

On taxing the rich, Mr Nowak said: “It’s ridiculous scaremongering to talk about a so-called ‘exodus’ of the super-rich when the number of billionaires has skyrocketed over the last 14 years.”

End Fuel Poverty Coalition co-ordinator Simon Francis said the list was “an annual reminder of where wealth accumulates in the UK economy and where the costs fall,” warning energy firms made £26.2 billion in profit in just the first three months of 2026.

He said: “Taxing excess wealth and profiteering fairly could mean revenues to support struggling households, cut energy debts and invest in the insulation and renewable energy that will get the country off the fossil fuel price rollercoaster.”

Crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, who gifted Reform UK leader Nigel Farage £5 million, is listed for the first time in sixth place with an estimated fortune of £18.2bn.