TL:DR – Manchester United Owner Says UK ‘Colonised by Immigrants’ | News UK
- Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United co-owner, claimed the UK is being “colonised by immigrants,” prompting calls for an apology from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
- Ratcliffe stated the UK faces economic challenges, citing nine million people on benefits.
- He suggested political leaders must undertake unpopular decisions to address issues like immigration.
- Starmer condemned Ratcliffe’s comments as “offensive,” reaffirming Britain’s diversity.
- Ratcliffe’s recent ownership changes at Manchester United have met with fan protests.
Manchester United owner claims UK ‘colonised by immigrants’ | News UK
Did Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe get his maths right? (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
The Prime Minister has called on Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to apologise after he said ‘the UK has been colonised by immigrants’.
The billionaire, who is founder and chairman of one of the world’s largest chemical companies, Ineos, said politicians needed to ‘do some difficult things with the UK to get it back on track’.
In an interview with Sky News, Sir Jim said: ‘You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in.
‘I mean, the UK is being colonised. It’s costing too much money. The UK has been colonised by immigrants.’
He added: ‘I mean, the population of the UK was 58 million in 2020, now it’s 70 million. That’s 12 million people.’
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But the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that the population of the UK was 67 million in mid-2020 and 70 million in mid-2024.
The UK population was estimated at 58.9 million in 2000.
Sir Keir Starmer responded to Sir Jim’s remarks on immigration, saying they were ‘offensive and wrong’.
‘Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country,’ the prime minister added. ‘Jim Ratcliffe should apologise.’
Leader Nigel Farage arrives on stage during a rally for Reform UK party at the NEC in Birmingham (Picture: Jacob King/PA Wire)
In the interview, Sir Jim said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was ‘maybe too nice’.
He added: ‘It’s a tough job, and I think you have to do some difficult things with the UK to get it back on track.’
The Manchester United co-owner said Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was an ‘intelligent man’ with ‘good intentions’.
He added: ‘But in a way, you could say exactly the same about Keir when Keir came in.
‘I think it needs somebody who’s prepared to be unpopular for a period of time to get the big issues sorted out.’
Sir Jim added: ‘If you really want to deal with the major issues of immigration, with people opting to take benefits rather than working for a living, if you want to deal with that, then you are going to have to do some things which are unpopular and show some courage.’
Sir Jim bought a minority share in Manchester United in late 2023 and his Ineos group has since taken control of football operations.
The billionaire has presided over a variety of contentious changes since becoming part of the ownership, with ticket pricing and availability causing particular anger among United fans.
Sir Jim continued: ‘Well, I’ve been very unpopular at Manchester United because we’ve made lots of changes. But for the better, in my view. And I think we’re beginning to see some evidence in the football club that that’s beginning to pay off.
‘But you’ve got all the same issues with the country. If you really want to deal with the major issues of immigration, with people opting to take benefits rather than working for a living, if you want to deal with that, then you’re going to have to do some things which are unpopular, and show some courage.’
A protest against the club’s owners – including for the first time towards Sir Jim as well as the Glazers – took place before Manchester United’s recent home game against Fulham.