BRITAIN’S richest plumber has told how he “had no choice” but to flee the country after his mammoth rise from his “disgusting” council estate upbringing.
Self-made, 71-year-old, Charlie Mullins, worth £1.5million, is moving abroad to protect his vast wealth from rising taxes.
Charlie said: “I’m simply not prepared to let this government get their hands on any more of my money.”
With rumours swirling that Labour’s new government could raise inheritance tax to 50 per cent, Mullins is taking drastic action.
He’s selling his £12million penthouse overlooking the Thames, moving his assets abroad, and won’t even keep a bank account in the UK.
He said: “It’s not a decision I’ve made lightly but I feel forced out by a government intent on punishing those who work hard and create wealth.”
The entrepreneur founded Pimlico Plumbers from a basement flat in 1979 and selling it three years ago for a fortune.
After claiming a staggering sum for his hard work, the 71-year-old has been “mainly living the good life” ever since.
Despite suggesting he would never sell his shares in Pimlico Plumbers, following months of negotiations Charlie raked in hundreds of millions over night in a deal estimated to be worth £145 million.
Selling his stake to the American “home service” giant Neighbourly, the entrepreneur even left ten percent to his son, Scott, allowing him to continue as chief executive.
After receiving his millions, Charlie has never been short of ideas for what he hopes to splash the cash on next.
He’s already planning to relocate his investments, luxury cars, and even his next business venture, WeFix.
The self-proclaimed straight talking media commentator now hopes to pour his leftover millions into Spain and Dubai.
The former Tory doner believes “anyone can jump ship whenever they want.”
It seems he’s not alone.
The entrepreneur points to a recent report by Henley & Partners, which predicts a mass exodus of 9,500 millionaires from the UK this year alone.
He added: “That’s more than any country except China.”
And with projections suggesting half a million will leave by 2028, Charlie says it’s clear that Britain’s wealthiest are voting with their feet.
Charlie said: “I’ve paid over £120 million in taxes in my lifetime, but enough is enough.
“I love Britain, but I can’t stand by while a hard-left government takes what I’ve worked so hard to earn.”
Now his son plans on following in his father’s successful footsteps.
Pitched as “the Harrods of the handyman world” the millionaire will take on the role of founder with all profits headed straight to his children’s family trust.
Despite his newfound millions, it wasn’t always Rolls Royces and million pound pay packets for Charlie, who has opened up about his previous struggles to afford more than one meal a day.
The plumber began working from the age of 10 and after a spate of bunking off eventually left school without any qualifications.
The London-born tradesman grew up on an “absolutely disgusting” council estate, investing the little money he had to his name in the hope of earning a small fortune.
From humble beginnings, Charlie claims the wisest business decision he made as an apprentice was to save up his earnings for a full bag of tools.
After completing a four-year apprenticeship, Charlie scraped enough cash to buy a second-hand van saying he was inspired by the Thatcher “revolution” and the “mantra of the self-made man“.
Since then, Charlie has befriended the likes of Simon Cowell and Dame Joan Collins.
The son of a factory worker and cleaner found his motivation from wanting to escape the Rockingham estate in south London that he was born into.
Charlie told Money Week: “Getting out of that life was the main thing that drove me on when I was a kid. I knew I didn’t want to spend all my life on the Rockingham.”
