Sir Jim Ratcliffe says sorry his ‘choice of language offended some people’ after saying migrants ‘colonised’ Britain – but insists he was right to raise immigration

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has today apologised to anyone upset by his words when he said the UK had been ‘colonised by immigrants’ – but insisted it was important he raised the issue.

The Manchester United owner said in a statement that he was ‘sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe’.

But he added: ‘It is important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth’.

He went on:  ‘My comments were made while answering questions about UK policy at the European Industry Summit in Antwerp, where I was discussing the importance of economic growth, jobs, skills and manufacturing in the UK.

‘My intention was to stress that governments must manage migration alongside investment in skills, industry and jobs so that long-term prosperity is shared by everyone. It is critical that we maintain an open debate on the challenges facing the UK.’

It came as the Football Association said it would examine whether his comments about immigrants have brought the game into disrepute.

His comments in an interview yesterday have caused a political storm and upset Manchester United fans. 

Sir Keir Starmer said it was ‘offensive and wrong’ to claim Britain had been ‘colonised by immigrants’ and urged him to apologise ‘immediately’, declaring: ‘Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country’.

But Nigel Farage was among those who defended the Ineos billionaire. The Reform UK leader dismissed the PM’s calls for Sir Jim to apologise, accusing Labour of trying to ‘ignore’ the impact of immigration on the UK. 

As well as criticising UK immigration levels, Sir Jim had also questioned whether Sir Keir was the right man to lead the country in an interview yesterday.

He said that the PM ‘may be too nice’ for the job and that ‘difficult’ decisions were needed by those in power to rescue the economy, which grew by just 0.1% in the final quarter of last year, official figures revealed today.

Responding to his immigration comments in a post on X, the Prime Minister wrote: ‘Offensive and wrong. Jim Ratcliffe should apologise.’

Sir Jim is also facing a backlash from Manchester United fans. Protest group The ’58 called him ‘a total embarrassment’. The Manchester United Supporters Trust said he was ‘marginalising’ the club’s fanbase.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who has been working closely with United on its £2billion stadium project, says Ratcliffe’s words ‘go against everything for which Manchester has traditionally stood’. 

But there has been some support for his comments, with Nigel Farage tweeting: ‘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’.

Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe said: ‘Ratcliffe is right. And I respect him for having the balls to say it’, adding: ‘It [the UK] has been colonised by immigrants. That’s just a fact. No point pussyfooting around it’.

But Downing Street said Sir Jim’s remarks ‘play into the hands of those who want to divide our country’ and called on him to ‘immediately’ apologise.

A No 10 spokesman said: ‘Jim Ratcliffe should immediately apologise.

‘His offensive remarks are wrong and play into the hands of those who want to divide our country.’

In an interview with Sky News, the Ineos owner said: ‘You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in. 

‘I mean, the UK has been colonised by immigrants really, hasn’t it? It’s costing too much money. The population of the UK was 58 million in 2020, now it’s 70 million. That’s 12 million people.’ 

The UK population was estimated to be 70 million in mid-2024, up from 67 million in 2020, and 58.9 million in 2000, according to the Office for National Statistics. 

The 73-year-old businessman also questioned whether Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is the right man to lead the country forward in a bombshell new interview, arguing ‘he may be too nice’. 

He added: ‘I don’t know whether it’s just the apparatus that hasn’t allowed Keir to do it or, or he’s maybe too nice – I mean, Keir is a nice man.

‘I like him, but it’s a tough job and I think you have to do some difficult things with the UK to get it back on track, because at the moment I don’t think the economy is in a good state.’ 

The population of the UK was estimated to have been 70 million in mid-2024, according to the Office for National Statistics, three million higher than that recorded during 2020. 

65,922 illegal migrants have reached the United Kingdom by small boat since Sir Keir’s time in No 10 Downing Street began in July 2024 – more than under any other PM in history. 

And Sir Keir’s Justice minister Jake Richards claimed this morning that the Ineos billionaire is ‘hypocritical’ to criticise the Government on migration, because he has ‘moved to Monaco to save £4billion in tax’.

‘One might question whether he is the patriot we need to comment on this issue’, he said.

Kick It Out – the anti-discrimination football campaign group – criticised Sir Jim’s comments, including the claim that the UK population has swelled by 12 million since 2020.

In a statement to the Press Association, Kick It Out said: ‘Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s comments are disgraceful and deeply divisive at a time when football does so much to bring communities together.

‘In addition to the inaccurate figures mentioned, it’s worth reminding him that Manchester United has a diverse fan base and plays in a city whose cultural history has been enriched by immigrants.

‘This type of language and leadership has no place in English football, and we believe most fans will feel the same.’

Sir Keir Starmer has come under mounting pressure and this week endured the toughest stint of his 18 months in office amid the scandal which saw Lord Peter Mandelson resign from government. 

He faced calls to resign from opposition leaders and, in a damning turn of events, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also pleaded with him to walk away on Monday. 

But at a meeting with his Parliamentary Labour Party later that evening, the Prime Minister affirmed that he has no intentions to give up. 

Earlier on Monday he had received backing from both Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves which strengthened his position. Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham has also since shared his support for the under-pressure PM. 

In his new interview, Sir Jim revealed that he has met with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who he describes as ‘an intelligent man’.  

He added: ‘I think he’s got good intentions. But, in a way, you could say exactly the same about Keir Starmer. 

‘I think it needs somebody who’s prepared to be unpopular for a period of time to get the big issues sorted.’ 

One of Britain’s richest men, Ratcliffe has been widely unpopular with Man United fans since purchasing his stake in the club on December 24, 2023. His group also owns Ligue 1 side Nice after completing a takeover deal in 2019.

He is estimated to be worth around £17billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich List in 2025, making him the seventh wealthiest person in the country. 

However, in the last year alone, the Lancashire-born business owner has seen his riches decline by some £6billion, likely due to the expenses of running United.

‘I’ve been very unpopular at Manchester United because we’ve made lots of changes,’ he admitted. ‘But, for the better, in my view. I think we’re beginning to see some evidence in the football club that that’s beginning to pay off.’ 

The 219 migrants who reached British shores on Sunday, February 8, saw the total who have entered Britain during Sir Keir’s leadership surpass that under Boris Johnson.

One of Sir Keir’s first acts in office after the 2024 general election was scrapping the previous government’s Rwanda asylum deal.

The programme had been designed to deter crossings – and save lives – by sending migrants to the east African country to claim asylum there rather than here.

Labour’s flagship policy is a ‘one in, one out’ deal with France which allows a small number of migrants to be sent back across the Channel. 

The Lord Mandelson scandal brought Sir Keir’s tenure in government to the brink of disaster and preceded the resignations of a number of his most senior figures. 

After the disgraced Mandelson walked away to ‘avoid further embarrassment’, the PM’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney handed in his resignation on Sunday. 

McSweeney had been influential in the appointment of Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US – a decision he admitted was ‘wrong’ in a farewell statement. 

Later, Sir Keir’s communications director Tim Allen quit on Monday to ‘let a new team’ take over in Number Ten, he said. 

Despite the Labour leader seemingly strengthening his position following a meeting with his party later that day, fresh doubts have since been cast over his judgment. 

Sir Keir’s woes deepened amid claims he went ahead with a peerage for Lord Matthew Doyle despite knowing about his ties to paedophile councillor Sean Morton.  

Doyle has apologised for campaigning for Morton in 2017 – after the latter had been charged over indecent images of children – saying he believed his friend’s assertions of innocence.

Party chair Anna Turley is calling for Lord Doyle to be kicked out of the Upper House, insisting he did not tell the truth before being elevated by Sir Keir.

No 10 is adamant Lord Doyle’s actions were not known when the peerage was announced on December 10 last year.

However, there are mounting questions about the timeline, with the Sunday Times having claimed that No 10 looked into the issues beforehand.

The situation has been likened to that of Mandelson, with the PM’s allies blaming the vetting system for letting him down. 

Asked about the situation during a tour of broadcast studios this morning, education minister Georgia Gould said: ‘I think the decision, the announcement was made on December 10. I think the story was later in the month.

‘But I think the Prime Minister has looked at this afresh, given the commitment that he has made to ensure the highest standards in public life.’

In an earlier statement, Lord Doyle apologised ‘unreservedly’ for supporting Moray councillor Morton before the case against him had concluded.  

He said he also had ‘extremely limited’ contact with Morton after his conviction.  

The Scottish National Party had objected to Lord Doyle’s peerage and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called on Sir Keir to publish ‘vetting advice and due diligence’ reports provided before his appointment to the Lords.

Labour had suspended Morton after he appeared in court in connection with indecent child images in late 2016.

Lord Doyle campaigned for Morton when he ran as an Independent in May 2017.

Morton admitted having indecent images of children in November 2017.