The list of the 500 people said to wield most influence on British society shows royalty and religion being nudged out in favour of big names from the world of business and finance.

Unsurprisingly, the Sunday Times' Power List says that Prime Minister Tony Blair is the most powerful person in Britain.

The BBC's Valerie Jones: "The power of business and money is prominent"

But Microsoft's Bill Gates is second on account of his company's software running 90% of all computers, followed by Alan Greenspan, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, a man upon whose words global financial markets tend to cling.

Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corporation - the parent company of the Sunday Times - is next.

Beckham and Posh Spice are more powerful than....

Further down the list, it is suggested that pop star Posh Spice and her footballer husband David Beckham exert more influence than Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey.

Indeed, religious leaders, along with members of the royal family, are relegated below business and finance chiefs.

The Prince of Wales is seen to have more clout than his mother the Queen because of his high-profile campaigning on issues from architecture to organic food, but they are ranked 36th and 47th respectively.

Nor is there particularly good news for politicians.

Despite Mr Blair's predictably strong showing, the only other politician in the top 10 is Chancellor Gordon Brown in fifth place - just ahead of Eddie George, Governor of the Bank of England.

And the Prime Minister's official spokesman, Alastair Campbell, is rated as more powerful than any other member of the Cabinet - coming in at ninth most influential person in Britain.

Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey....

Home Secretary Jack Straw comes in at number 12, with deputy Prime Minister John Prescott five places behind him.

Foreign Secretary Robin Cook is rated 61st most powerful person in Britain, behind newspaper editors and former Cabinet minister Peter Mandelson.

Tory leader William Hague fails to make the top 100.

Britain's most powerful woman is said to be Carol Galley of Mercury Asset Management, one of a triumvirate of fund managers known as the Heavy Mob and ranked jointly at 25th because of the power they can wield in boardrooms across Britain.

Pope John Paul II is the only spiritual figure to win a place in the top 100, which was drawn up using criteria developed by Australian academic Professor Stewart Clegg.

David Beckham and Posh Spice rank 91st among the nation's most potent figures, with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson not far behind them.

But Mr Blair is more powerful than the lot of them....

The Power List, which was compiled by 50 experts, was drawn up according to the amount of direct executive power, power of reputation, power of an idea or impact of a single event linked to each individual.

As a result, John Prescott's 17th position sees him overtaken by the director-general of the Office of Fair Trading, John Bridgeman, whose power to defend consumer rights earns him seventh place.

Similarly, Brian Souter, the chairman of public transport giant Stagecoach, is 37th - and credited with more influence on the national conscience than Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers (85th).