Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has apologised for his "choice of language" in an interview in which he said that Britain had been “colonised by immigrants”.
The billionaire's claims have led to an outbreak of anger among politicians and fans of the club, with Manchester mayor Andy Burnham saying they were "insulting and inflammatory", while Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned them as “offensive and wrong”.
The situation could lead to further protests against Manchester United's owners, whose popularity is already low after recent ticket price increases and availability problems.
The row was sparked by an interview Sir Jim, who is the founder and chairman of the chemical giant Ineos, gave to Sky News, in which he is accused of having used the language of the populist far right.
“You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,” he said. “I mean, the UK is being colonised. It’s costing too much money. The UK has been colonised by immigrants.”
He added that to deal with the issue of mass immigration, the government would have to take actions that were “unpopular and show some courage”. He added that the right-wing Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was an “intelligent man” with “good intentions”.
On Thursday, Sir Jim issued a statement in which he said he was sorry that his "choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe and caused concern, but it is important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth". He said it was critical to maintain open debate on the challenges facing the UK.
Earlier, the city’s mayor said the original comments “go against everything for which Manchester has traditionally stood”. He said it was a place where people “of all races, faiths and none have pulled together over centuries” to build the city.
He added that while the immigration debate was legitimate, “portraying those who come here as a hostile invading force” was “inaccurate, insulting, inflammatory and should be withdrawn”.
The businessman’s interview was also criticised by Asif Mahmood, of the official Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club, for “stoking the flames” of immigration through use of the word “colonisation”.
“That word is used by the far right for the same issue, and we don’t expect the same from the co-owner of Manchester United,” he told the BBC.
He added that it was not just a problem for Muslim supporters and that “this statement affects people from all different backgrounds”. He pointed out that many players and the club's chief executive are immigrants.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote that the comments were “offensive and wrong. Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country. Jim Ratcliffe should apologise”. Downing Street added that the remarks “play into the hands of those who want to divide our country”.
The Justice Minister, Jake Richards, went further, accusing Sir Jim of hypocrisy, pointing out that a man who moved to Monaco to save “£4 billion in tax is now lecturing us about immigration .... it is completely absurd to think that our country is being ‘colonised’, which implies some kind of invasion or bring taken over,” he told Times Radio.
Sir Jim, who is one of Britain's richest men and who supported the Labour Party at the last election, bought a minority share of 25 per cent in Manchester United in late 2023. His Ineos group has since taken control of football operations.
He has presided over a variety of contentious changes, with ticket pricing and availability causing particular anger among United fans. A protest against the club’s owners that was for the first time directed at Sir Jim as well as the Glazer family, took place before Manchester United’s recent home game against Fulham.
Kick It Out, the anti-discrimination football campaign group, said the comments were “disgraceful and deeply divisive” and had come at a time when football “does so much to bring communities together”.
“This type of language and leadership has no place in English football,” it added.
