Prime Minister Keir Starmer has demanded an apology from Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe after the billionaire claimed the UK is being “colonised” by immigrants. In an interview with Sky News, Ratcliffe, who moved his tax residency to Monaco in 2020, also criticised the number of people on benefits, saying the country cannot afford “9 million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants”.
Ratcliffe’s population figures were incorrect: the Office for National Statistics estimated the UK population at 67 million in 2020, not 58 million as he claimed. Starmer responded on X, calling the remarks “offensive and wrong”, adding that Britain is “a proud, tolerant and diverse country”. A Downing Street spokesperson said the comments “play into the hands of those who want to divide our country”.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy offered a more nuanced response, agreeing with Ratcliffe that too many people have been “written off”, but stressing the need for a trustworthy immigration system. Ratcliffe’s comments come shortly after the government awarded a £120m grant to his company Ineos to protect 500 jobs.
The billionaire also compared Starmer unfavourably with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, whom he described as “an intelligent man”. Ratcliffe said the UK needs a leader “prepared to be unpopular” to tackle major issues. Farage echoed Ratcliffe’s immigration concerns, saying Labour “may try and ignore that but Reform won’t”.
