The UK’s three wealthiest persons have capitalised greatly on reports about surging stocks and the pound following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement about a fresh Brexit agreement between London and Brussels, Bloomberg reports.
Fortunes of business tycoon Jim Ratcliffe, billionaire inventor James Dyson and the Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor rose to a combined $1.1 billion on Thursday morning.
The news outlet suggested that the hefty gains may prove “short-lived” given that the new agreement has yet to be passed by the House of Commons, where PM Johnson has lost an array of crucial votes since taking office in July.
On Thursday, the pound surged to a five-month high against the dollar, coming close to $1.30, after negotiating teams from Britain and the EU struck a deal.
UK PM Johnson Touts New 'Great' Brexit Deal
Earlier, Johnson announced the breakthrough in the Brexit talks, tweeting that “we've got a great new deal that takes back control.”
We’ve got a great new deal that takes back control — now Parliament should get Brexit done on Saturday so we can move on to other priorities like the cost of living, the NHS, violent crime and our environment #GetBrexitDone #TakeBackControl
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 17, 2019
He was echoed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker who said that the deal was “a fair and balanced agreement for the EU and the UK and it is testament to our commitment to find solutions."
The deal, which still need to win the backing of the UK and European parliaments, has already been rejected by Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) as "not beneficial to the economic well-being of Northern Ireland” and something that “undermines the integrity of the Union.”
Johnson, for his part, has repeatedly pledged to withdraw the UK from the EU 'with or without a deal.'
