Starmer Demands Apology After Ratcliffe’s ‘Colonised’ UK Claim
Keir Starmer demands apology after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s explosive immigration comments spark backlash from fans and political leaders across the UK.
Sir Keir Starmer has described billionaire Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's comments about immigration as "offensive and wrong."
Sir Jim, the founder of Ineos, one of the world's largest chemical companies, told on Wednesday that the UK has become a "colony of immigrants" and said the Prime Minister is "too good" to do the "difficult work" of stabilizing the country's economy.
In his rebuke on Wednesday evening, Sir Keir said Britain is "a proud, tolerant, and diverse country" and called on Sir Jim to apologize.
A spokesperson for No. 10 also called on the businessman to apologize, saying the comments "play into the hands of those who want to divide our country."
Sir Jim told the broadcaster: "You can't run an economy with nine million people on benefits and a large number of immigrants coming in."
He continued: "I mean, the UK has been enslaved. It's costing a lot of money."
"The UK has been taken over by immigrants, really, hasn't it? I mean, the UK population was 58 million in 2020, now it's 70 million. That's 12 million people."
However, data from the Office for National Statistics estimates that the UK population will be 69.4 million by 2025, compared to 66.7 million in 2020.
Sir Jim made this statement during an interview with economic editor Ed Conway during the European Industry Summit in Antwerp, Belgium.
Several fan groups also criticized the move, including the Manchester United Supporters Trust, which said on X: "No fan should feel excluded from following or supporting the club because of their race, religion, nationality, or background. Comments from the club's senior leadership should make it easier to engage, not harder.
"This isn't about politics; it's about ensuring that Manchester United's custodians act in a way that unites supporters, not alienates any segment of our fanbase."
The Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club also said it was "deeply disturbed" by the comments, adding that the term "colonized" is "not neutral."
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It added, "It's reminiscent of the language often used in right-wing narratives that portray migrants as invaders and a demographic threat."
Show Racism the Red Card said that the cultural influence of football clubs should be used "to challenge racism, not inadvertently promote narratives that undermine community cohesion," while Kick It Out said the comments were "shameful and deeply divisive."
The 1958 Group of Manchester United Supporters described these comments as "very ill-advised" and criticized Sir Jim for "commenting on issues concerning our country while living in Monaco to avoid paying taxes."
Sir Jim, 73, said that leaders "need to be prepared to be unpopular for a period of time in order to address the big issues."
Since purchasing a 27.7% stake in 2024, Sir Jim has restructured United, laying off 450 people, making major changes to senior management, and sacking two managers.
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He said that although some of his decisions were unpopular, he had to make them "to address the big issues."
Sir Jim said, "If you do the difficult things we felt we had to do at Manchester United... we felt they were the right things. But you become very unpopular for a period of time."
He added: "But you have the same issues with the country. If you really want to tackle the big issues of immigration, where people choose to take benefits rather than work to make ends meet, you're going to have to do some things that are unpopular, and show some courage."
Speaking of the Prime Minister, Sir Jim said: "It's a difficult job, and I think you're going to have to do some difficult things with him to get the UK back on track."
Sir Jim said he had recently met Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, describing him as a "sensible man" with "good intentions," but added that "in a way, you could have said the same thing about Keir when he came in."
He added, "I think solving the big issues requires someone who is prepared to be unpopular for a while." Responding to Sir Keir's comments, Farage said on X: "Britain has experienced massive immigration on a scale never seen before, which has changed the nature of many areas of our country.
"The Labour Party may try to ignore it, but the Reform Party will not."
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described Sir Jim's comments as "completely wrong" and "completely at odds with British values," and called on him to apologize.
According to the Sunday Times Rich List, Sir Jim, who was a Leave campaigner before the Brexit referendum, was the 7th richest person in the UK in 2025, with a net worth of approximately £17 billion.
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