Gary Lineker has joined more than 100 UK-based millionaires calling on new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to tax their wealth. In a letter to the Labour leader, organised by the Patriotic Millionaires group, they say: "As millionaires we have a clear message for you, our new Prime Minister: tax us. We are proud to pay and here to stay. We’re not talking about higher taxes on those who get up and go to work for their income every day, but on the very richest whose income is derived from the wealth they hold."
Signatories include Greggs chairman and film director
Signatories include former England striker Lineker alongside Ian Gregg, the former chairman of the sausage roll chain Greggs, and film director Richard Curtis, behind hits including Love Actually and Notting Hill. Others include Scottish author Val McDermid, former City trader and economist Gary Stevenson, and climate expert Michael Berners-Lee.
Former Match of the Day presenter Lineker said: "Our fantastic country deserves all of us to get behind it. I’m proud to stand with people across the UK who want to live in a more equal society." He added: "Paying your fair share is a basic British value, but so many ordinary people are already paying more than they can afford. Our richest people can do more and most want to. To live up to our national values our new government must raise taxes on extreme levels of wealth for a fairer, better, more hopeful Britain."
Wealth tax could raise billions
Patriotic Millionaires claim a 2% tax on the assets of the super-rich over £10 million could raise £24 billion for the Treasury. Just a tiny proportion of the population would be hit by the move - fewer than 0.04% or around 20,000 people, according to Tax Justice UK. Previous research for The Mirror found a wealth tax on the 350 wealthiest families alone - including 156 billionaires - could raise £15 billion.
A tax on wealth could cover over a third of the total core schools budget in England, which stood at around £65 billion in 2025-2026. It could also cover an extension of free school meals to all school-aged children in England, with plenty of cash left over. Research from the Child Poverty Action Group in 2023 found this would cost £2 billion per year to the taxpayer. It would be more than enough to end the housing benefit freeze - £1.5 billion annually - and plug the entire funding gap in defence spending of £4.7 billion.
Burnham does not rule out wealth tax
Before entering No10, Mr Burnham did not rule out a wealth tax in an interview with Lineker. He said: "I’m not going rule things out right now. I do believe we need a greater sense of fairness and people feeling that things are being done in the right way and a fair way. But at the same time, you know, I don’t want to sort of be perceived as somebody who’s coming in with grudges and agendas." He added: "And at some point that might be having to ask for a little more. But, you know, those decisions are not for now. They’re for another day."
Patriotic Millionaires adds that equalising capital gains tax with income tax could also bring in £12 billion. Wes Streeting, appointed Defence Secretary, called for this measure when he quit Keir Starmer’s Cabinet in May, saying it was a "wealth tax that works". However, Jonathan Reynolds, the current Business Secretary, dismissed the idea of a wealth tax as "daft" in 2025.
Millionaires willing to pay more
Critics of a wealth tax have argued the introduction would result in the super-rich fleeing the country. But recent research by Patriotic Millionaires by Survation found 75% would be willing to pay more tax to help protect the social, cultural and economic foundations they value in Britain. The UK-based millionaires who signed the letter add: "Extreme wealth sitting idle in the hands of a few can be put to work: reducing inequality, investing in sustainable jobs, strengthening hospitals, schools and social care."
Julia Davies, member of Patriotic Millionaires UK, said: "This is a fresh opportunity for our country. A chance for the Prime Minister to help rebalance power, reduce the shocking levels of wealth inequality which intensifies the cost of living crisis, and raise much-needed revenue for our public services. We millionaires are here to be taxed more and we urge our new PM to grab this opportunity with both hands and tax our wealth."
