A hotel chain operated by the businessman bidding to buy Manchester United FC netted £3.1million in public Covid-19 grants - despite him being worth billions, it's been revealed.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Lime Wood Group Ltd received more than £1.5million during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The Lime Wood Hotel, in the New Forest, has rooms for £1,400 a night.
Sir Jim’s portfolio also includes the four-star Le Portetta, which boasts “38 luxuriously cosy rooms” in French ski resort Courchevel.
His firm made use of the furlough scheme and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme. Sir Jim's wealth was estimated at £6.075billion in the 2022 Sunday Times Rich list.