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Sir James Dyson is the wealthiest person in Britain, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2020.

The inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner saw his wealth grow by £3.6billion over the past year - up to £16.2billion.

Sir James, who announced he was moving Dyson's HQ from Wiltshire to Singapore last year, topped the list for the first time.

In February, it was expected the number of billionaires would rise to nearly 160, but it fell by four to 147 as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, the Sunday Times said.

A record 25 female billionaires made the list, which also showed the overall wealth of the 1,000 richest people in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ was down by £29billion on 2019.

Robert Watts, who compiled the list, said: “Ever since the financial crisis of 2008-9, Britain’s wealthiest people have become richer and richer.

“Covid-19 has called time on their golden period. This year’s rich list paints a picture of Britain on the brink of calamity – two months after lockdown and already billions of pounds have been wiped out.

“You may not like the super-rich, but it is hard to deny that our economy will need the jobs they create and the taxes they and their companies pay if we are to escape a prolonged recession that causes further misery to millions.”