Abstract
Richard Branson holds the distinction of being Britain's best-known entrepreneur. This self-made man started his first company at the age of 17 and succeeded in building an empire from it. Worth £3 billion and believed to be the ninth-richest man in the UK, the 56-year-old founder of the Virgin empire inspired a generation of entrepreneurs by not only becoming influent in business activities but also in British political life. Branson is, however, not engaged in any political party and defines himself as a libertarian. He swings between the Conservative and the Labor Parties with the sole aim of safeguarding his economic interests. In December 1999, he was awarded a knighthood in the Queen's Millennium New Year's Honors List for "services to entrepreneurship". The aim of this essay is to analyze how important the participation of Richard Branson in British political life is. It may be said that because of his huge business activities that deal with numerous and various key sectors of the country such as the transport, the energies or the media, Branson has a privileged position vis-à-vis government officials. Viewed on this perspective, he may be considered a political actor. In order to have a better understanding of this topic, we will first briefly present the biography of Richard Branson, also known as ?the British tycoon'.
