More than 120 British-based millionaires have made a public appeal to the UK’s new prime minister Andy Burnham to tax them more for a “better Britain”.
A letter published by Patriotic Millionaires UK on Thursday urged higher taxes on “the very richest whose income is derived from the wealth they hold”, and not those “who get up and go to work for their income every day”.
The announcement comes six months after nearly 400 millionaires joined Patriotic Millionaires US in demanding higher taxes to curb growing inequality as leaders met at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The movement, founded in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, continues to gather momentum across the Western world amid scrutiny around income inequality and democratic backsliding.
The Independent looks at where Patriotic Millionaires came from and who is backing it.
How did Patriotic Millionaires begin?
Patriotic Millionaires began life in the United States as a movement protesting former US president Barack Obama’s support for extending Bush-era tax cuts on people with incomes over $1 million.
The organisation bills itself as a non-partisan research group focused on the two “interrelated problems” of authoritarianism and the “destabilising level of inequality that led to its rise”.
They call for equalised tax rates for capital gains and ordinary income over $1m; a tax cut for working people to address the rising cost of living; incentives for companies to pay a living wage; and anti-oligarch protections.
Groups have since emerged in the UK and Canada, echoing similar concerns and lobbying politicians with policy recommendations.
The UK group is an independent organisation from Patriotic Millionaires in the US and Canada, but a spokesperson said they work very closely together and share a mission “to combat the destabilising impact of political and economic inequality through issues such as progressive taxation”.
Rallying against concerns a ‘wealth tax’ could lead to an exodus of successful Britons, the UK group’s letter won endorsements from the likes of former England football player Gary Lineker and screenwriter Richard Curtis.
They argue for fair and progressive taxation; a system that rewards work over wealth; and safeguards to mitigate the “undue influence of wealth” in democracy. They point to their own research suggesting four in five UK millionaires would support a 2% tax on wealth over £10 million.
The organisation’s poll of 501 UK millionaires in April found that 75 per cent of UK millionaires said they would be willing to pay more in order to help protect and strengthen the social, cultural and economic foundations they value in Britain.
The board consists of Rebecca Gowland, formerly of Oxfam; entrepreneur Graham Hobson; investor Nick Marple; former Blackrock managing director Morris Pearl, and human rights lawyer Poonam Joshi.
Mr Pearl is chair of the Patriotic Millionaires group representing high-worth individuals in the United States and the co-author of Tax the Rich! How Lies, Loopholes, and Lobbyists Make the Rich Even Richer.
Who is supporting the campaign?
The UK branch of Patriotic Millionaires published its ‘Proud to Pay’ letter on Wednesday, including signatures from more than 100 millionaires urging the new prime minister to tax their wealth.
Wealth and assets can be harder to measure than income, and figures on the number of millionaires in the UK vary – but the UBS Global Wealth Report for 2026 estimates that there are around 2,428,000 USD millionaires in the country, up 1.8 per cent.
The ‘Proud to Pay’ signatories include musician Brian Eno, director Derek Bennett, screenwriter Richard Curtis, and Gary Lineker.
Nearly 400 millionaires also signed an open letter in January drafted by Patriotic Millionaires, Millionaires for Humanity and Oxfam, warning that taxing the super rich was the “duty” of elected leaders as a simple solution to the ills of society.
That letter was signed by high-profile figures from around the world including Oscar-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo, and Tim and Abby Disney.
