Aristocrats have increased their influence in Britain over the past 150 years, research claims

Aristocrats have become more influential in British society over the past 150 years, according to new research that looks at the lives of notable people.

Academics have studied the entries to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, a reference book which records profiles of over 60,000 people who have significantly shaped British life. They found that hereditary are now 292 times more likely than non-aristocrats to be listed in the book.