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Sir Keir Starmer has strongly criticized recent remarks made by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, billionaire co-owner of Manchester United, regarding immigration, labeling them “offensive and wrong.”
Sir Jim, founder of the global chemical conglomerate Ineos, stated in a Sky News interview on Wednesday that the UK had been “colonised by immigrants,” further suggesting the Prime Minister was “too nice” to implement the “difficult things” needed to stabilize the nation’s economy.
In a Wednesday evening rebuttal, Sir Keir asserted that Britain is “a proud, tolerant and diverse country” and called for Sir Jim to issue an apology.
Echoing this sentiment, a No. 10 spokesperson also urged the businessman to apologize, stating that his comments “play into the hands of those who want to divide our country.”
The BBC has reached out to Ineos and Manchester United for comment concerning Sir Jim’s statements.
Sir Jim told Sky News: “You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in.”
He further stated: “I mean, the UK has been colonised. It’s costing too much money.”
“The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn’t it? I mean, the population of the UK was 58 million in 2020, now it’s 70 million. That’s 12 million people.”
Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates the UK’s population was 69.4 million in mid-2023, compared to 66.7 million in mid-2020.
Sir Jim’s comments were made during an interview with Sky News’ economic editor Ed Conway at the European Industry Summit in Antwerp, Belgium.
The remarks have drawn condemnation from the Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club (MUMSC) and anti-racism educational organizations such as Show Racism the Red Card and Kick It Out.
MUMSC expressed “deep concern” over the statements, noting that the term “colonised” “is not neutral.”
“It echoes language frequently used in far-right narratives that frame migrants as invaders and demographic threats,” the organization added.
Show Racism the Red Card emphasized that the cultural influence wielded by football clubs “should be used to challenge racism, not inadvertently amplify narratives that undermine community harmony.”
Kick It Out deemed the comments “disgraceful and deeply divisive.”
The 1958 Group of Manchester United supporters described the comments as “very ill-advised” and criticized Sir Jim for “commenting on the issues of our country while living in Monaco to avoid paying tax.”
The 71-year-old suggested politicians needed to be “prepared to be unpopular for a period of time to get the big issues sorted out.”
Since acquiring a 27.7% stake in Manchester United in 2024, Sir Jim has initiated a restructuring process, including 450 redundancies, an overhaul of senior management, and the dismissal of two managers.
He maintained that while some of his decisions have been unpopular, they were necessary “to get the big issues sorted out.”
“If you do difficult things, which we felt that we had to do at Manchester United… we felt like they were the right things to do. But you do become very unpopular for a while,” said Sir Jim.
He added: “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.”
Speaking about the Prime Minister, Sir Jim stated: “It’s a tough job, and I think you have to do some difficult things with the UK to get it back on track.”
Sir Jim disclosed that he recently met with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, describing him as an “intelligent man” with “good intentions,” but added that “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,” he added.
In response to Sir Keir’s condemnation, Farage posted on X: “Britain has undergone unprecedented mass immigration that has changed the character of many areas in our country.”
“Labour may try to ignore that but Reform won’t.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described Sir Jim’s comments as “totally wrong” and “totally out of step with British values,” also calling for him to apologise.
According to the Sunday Times’ Rich List, Sir Jim, who advocated for leaving the EU during the Brexit referendum, was the 7th richest person in the UK in 2023, with an estimated net worth of £17 billion.
He reportedly relocated from the UK to Monaco in 2020, a jurisdiction that does not impose personal income tax or capital gains taxes.
Ineos’ raw materials are utilized in a wide range of products, from packaging for toiletries, medicines, and food to mobile phones and furniture.
In recent years, Sir Jim’s business ventures have diversified beyond chemicals, including a now-abandoned plan to develop a new vehicle based on the Land Rover Defender, as well as Ineos’ acquisition of the luxury motorcycle apparel brand Belstaff.
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