British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described comments about immigration made by Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe as “offensive and wrong”, after the billionaire businessman said the UK had been “colonised by immigrants”.
Sir Jim, founder of chemicals giant Ineos, made the remarks during an interview with Sky News at the European Industry Summit in Antwerp, Belgium.
He argued that high immigration and rising welfare costs were placing pressure on the country’s economy.
“You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,” he said. “The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn’t it?”
He also claimed the UK population had risen from 58 million in 2020 to 70 million today.
However, the Office for National Statistics estimates show the population was 66.7 million in mid-2020 and 69.4 million in mid-2025 — an increase of about 2.7 million.
As reported by the BBC, responding on Wednesday evening, the prime minister said Britain was “a proud, tolerant and diverse country” and called on Sir Jim to apologise.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the comments “play into the hands of those who want to divide our country”.
Sir Jim also suggested that political leaders would need to be prepared to take unpopular decisions to address immigration and welfare.
“If you really want to deal with the major issues of immigration… you’re going to have to do some things which are unpopular, and show some courage,” he said, adding that the prime minister faced a “tough job”.
The remarks prompted criticism from across the political spectrum. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described them as “totally wrong” and “out of step with British values”. Labour MP Stella Creasy said Sir Jim did “not seem to understand the contribution” immigrants make to the country.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Britain had undergone “unprecedented mass immigration” that had changed many communities, adding that while Labour may “try to ignore that”, Reform would not.
Fan groups linked to Manchester United also condemned the comments. The Manchester United Supporters Trust said no supporter should feel excluded because of their race, religion, or background, adding that senior leadership should unite fans rather than marginalise them.
The Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club said it was “deeply concerned”, arguing that the term “colonised” echoed language used in far-right narratives that portray migrants as invaders.
Anti-racism organisations Kick It Out and Show Racism the Red Card described the remarks as divisive. At the same time, The 1958 Group of supporters called them “very ill-advised” and criticised Sir Jim for commenting on UK affairs while living in Monaco.
Sir Jim, 73, acquired a 27.7% stake in Manchester United in 2024 and has overseen significant restructuring at the club, including hundreds of redundancies and managerial changes.
He acknowledged some of his decisions had been unpopular but said they were necessary to “get the big issues sorted out”.
According to the Sunday Times Rich List, Sir Jim is the seventh richest person in the UK, with an estimated net worth of £17bn. He reportedly moved to Monaco in 2020.
The BBC has approached Ineos and Manchester United for comment.
punch.ng
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