Minister Condemns Ratcliffe's 'Hypocritical' Immigration Remarks
Justice Minister Jake Richards has branded Sir Jim Ratcliffe's comments on immigration as "hypocritical" and "frankly wrong", following Prime Minister Keir Starmer's demand for an apology from the billionaire Manchester United co-owner.
Ratcliffe's Controversial Comments Spark Outrage
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who has resided in tax-free Monaco since 2020 and chairs chemical giant Ineos, told Sky News on Wednesday evening that Britain is being "colonised by immigrants". He claimed immigration is "costing too much money" due to the number of people "on benefits", stating: "You can't have an economy with 9 million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded swiftly on social media platform X, declaring: "Offensive and wrong. Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country. Jim Ratcliffe should apologise."
Minister's Strong Criticism
On Thursday morning, Justice Minister Jake Richards intensified the government's condemnation during media appearances. He told Sky News that Ratcliffe's language was "ugly" and "frankly wrong", while telling Times Radio the billionaire was "hypocritical" to criticise government migration policy while having "moved to Monaco to save £4 billion in tax".
Richards elaborated: "Let's just be very clear that Jim Ratcliffe's comments yesterday both were offensive in terms of the language used, he got his facts wrong, and there's also something that I find quite offensive, that this man who moved to Monaco to save £4 billion in tax is now lecturing us about immigration."
Factual Inaccuracies Highlighted
The minister further criticised Ratcliffe's use of statistics, telling LBC radio that the businessman "got his facts wrong" and used figures "which were completely wrong". Richards emphasised: "It's also completely absurd to suggest we're somehow being invaded or taken over. It's offensive, because many people come to this country, far from trying to take over the country, but to contribute working our NHS or in our social care system, for example."
Regional Leaders Join Condemnation
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham issued a strong statement condemning Ratcliffe's remarks, saying they "go against everything for which Manchester has traditionally stood". Burnham described the comments as "inaccurate, insulting, inflammatory and should be withdrawn", highlighting how "footballers who have arrived from all over the world to play in Greater Manchester have enhanced the life of our city-region".
Broader Political Context
The controversy emerged alongside other political developments, including Starmer's meeting with King Charles to honour carers, and discussions about reviving the first secretary of state role. However, the Ratcliffe comments dominated political discourse, with the government maintaining its firm stance against what it perceives as inflammatory rhetoric about immigration.
Meanwhile, Starmer sought to emphasise positive economic news, stating that latest GDP figures showing 0.1% growth in the final quarter of last year demonstrate Britain's "economy is growing", though he acknowledged "more to do" on cost of living pressures.
