Jim Ratcliffe, the Monaco-based co-owner of Manchester United, has apologised after claiming that the UK is being “colonised” by immigrants, a remark that drew widespread condemnation from politicians, football fans, and anti-racism campaigners. The billionaire petrochemicals magnate, who saved an estimated £4bn in tax by moving his tax domicile to Monaco in 2020, made the comments during an interview with Sky News on Wednesday evening.
In the interview, Ratcliffe cited inaccurate immigration statistics, stating that the UK population had risen from 58 million to 70 million, implying an influx of 12 million immigrants. However, Office for National Statistics data shows the population was 67 million in 2020, and last stood at 58 million around 2000. He also criticised the number of people on benefits, saying, “You can’t have an economy with 9 million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in.”
The backlash was swift. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the remarks “offensive and wrong”, while Chancellor Rachel Reeves described them as “disgusting”. Critics highlighted Ratcliffe’s hypocrisy, noting he benefited from government support worth hundreds of millions of pounds for his loss-making Ineos business while attacking immigrants. Manchester United issued a statement affirming their commitment to “equality, diversity and inclusion”, without naming Ratcliffe, and the Football Association is considering whether his comments brought the game into disrepute.
In his apology, Ratcliffe said he was “sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe”, but stopped short of retracting his underlying sentiments, instead stressing the need for “controlled and well-managed immigration”. The apology was welcomed by Starmer’s spokesperson, who reiterated that the comments remained “inflammatory and divisive”.
Union leaders and politicians accused Ratcliffe of using language reminiscent of “far-right narratives”. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the remarks were “inaccurate, insulting, inflammatory” and “against everything for which Manchester has traditionally stood”. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, however, defended Ratcliffe, saying, “Jim Ratcliffe is right.”
