Manchester United co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe apologises for saying UK has been ‘colonised by immigrants’

Manchester United co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has tendered an apology after claiming Britain has been “colonised” by immigrants who are draining resources from the state.

In an interview with Sky News, Ratcliffe, the founder of the INEOS chemicals group, warned Britain faces profound political, social and economic challenges, among them an unprecedented rise in immigration in recent years.

“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 has been colonised. It’s costing too much money.

“The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn’t it? I mean, the population of the UK was 58m in 2020, now it’s 70m. That’s 12m people.”

However, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) estimates the population of the UK was 67m in mid-2020 and 70m in mid-2024. The UK population was estimated at 58.9m in 2000.

In a statement on Thursday, Ratcliffe said: “I am sorry that my 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.

“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.”