One hundred and twenty affluent Britons have signed an open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham calling for a 2% tax on wealth above £10 million, according to the BBC (BBC News).

The letter, titled "Proud to Pay," was organised by the group Patriotic Millionaires and addresses Burnham as the "new prime minister." The BBC does not specify the exact date the letter was sent; its report was published on 23 July 2026 (BBC News).

Signatories include former footballer Gary Lineker, music producer Brian Eno and film director Richard Curtis (BBC News). The Telegraph published its own coverage the same day (The Telegraph).

Patriotic Millionaires said its own polling showed a majority of millionaires supported higher taxation on themselves (BBC News). The BBC does not credit the story to an exclusive; the source appears to be the Patriotic Millionaires group and the text of its open letter (BBC News).

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch responded directly. She said Lineker is "very welcome to pay more tax" and can "write a cheque to the treasury" (BBC News). The BBC notes that individuals can already make voluntary donations of money or stocks to the Treasury through an existing facility (BBC News).

The broader context here is that Badenoch's reply is a well-worn political counter-argument. Whenever prominent figures call for higher taxes on themselves, opponents point out that the voluntary donation mechanism already exists, so the real demand is about compelling others to pay, not about the signatories' own willingness to part with money. It is a line that has appeared in Conservative responses to similar campaigns in previous parliaments.

The letter's framing, however, is explicitly structural. A 2% levy on wealth over £10 million is a policy proposal, not a personal donation. The signatories are asking the government to legislate, not merely to accept contributions. Whether the Treasury is considering such a measure is not addressed in the verified reporting.

Addressing Burnham as "new prime minister" places the letter at the very start of his tenure, a moment when interest groups across the political spectrum typically press their cases before policy positions harden. The BBC report does not indicate whether Burnham or the Treasury has responded to the letter's specific proposals.

The involvement of Lineker, Eno and Curtis gives the letter a level of public visibility that a backbench policy paper would not command. Lineker in particular has been a lightning rod in previous political controversies involving the BBC and government policy, which may shape how the letter is received in the press and among MPs.

The broader question is whether the "Proud to Pay" letter shifts the debate on wealth taxation. That will depend on whether Burnham's government treats a 2% levy on assets over £10 million as a live option in its fiscal planning. The Treasury's existing donation facility remains available in the meantime.