Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has issued a statement after being widely condemned for saying that the UK has been “colonised by immigrants”.
Speaking in an interview at the European Industry Summit in Antwerp on Wednesday, Ratcliffe warned that Britain faces political, social and economic challenges, with one of those being a rise in immigration.
"You can't have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in," Ratcliffe told Sky News on Wednesday. "I mean, the UK has been colonised. It's costing too much money."
He added: "The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn't it? I mean, the population of the UK was 58 million in 2020, now it's 70 million. That's 12 million people."
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The Office of National Statistics (ONS), meanwhile, estimates the population of the UK was 67 million in mid-2020 and 70 million in mid-2024. Back in 2000, the population in Britain was estimated at 58.9 million.
Ratcliffe, who has resided in Monaco since 2020, has been widely condemned for his comments.
Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, branded Ratcliffe's rant as "inaccurate, insulting and inflammatory" in a lengthy statement on social media.
"These comments go against everything for which Manchester has traditionally stood: a place where people of all races, faiths and none have pulled together over centuries to build our city and our institutions, including Manchester United FC," he wrote.
"Calling for curbs on levels of immigration is one thing; portraying those who come here as a hostile invading force is quite another. It is inaccurate, insulting, inflammatory and should be withdrawn."
"Footballers who have arrived from all over the world to play in Greater Manchester have enhanced the life of our city-region, as have the many people working in Greater Manchester's NHS and other essential services and industries. We appreciate their contribution as a city-region famous for the warmth of our welcome.
"If any criticism is needed, it should be directed towards those who have offered little contribution to our life here and have instead spent years siphoning wealth out of one of our proudest institutions."
Sir Jim Ratcliffe issues new statement following backlash
On Thursday, Ratcliffe issued a statement apologising for his choice of language.
"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," he said.
"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."
Before making the new statement, Piers Morgan reacted to Ratcliffe's comments at the European Industry Summit in Antwerp.
Taking to X, he wrote: "Aside from his blatant lies/ignorance about UK population numbers, Ratcliffe is an immigrant tax exile in Monaco, and most of his Manchester United team are immigrants to UK. So he’s a stinking race-baiting hypocrite."
Morgan also responded after Ratcliffe apologised that his "choice of language offended some people in UK and Europe".
He said: "There are legitimate debates to be had about the levels of UK immigration (too high) and the number of people not working and claiming benefits (also too high). But they can be had without descending to ‘we’ve been overrun/colonised by foreigners’ nonsense. We haven’t."
In the interview on Wednesday, Ratcliffe suggested UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was “maybe too nice” and said politicians needed to “do some difficult things with the UK to get it back on track”.
Ratcliffe also said Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was an “intelligent man” with “good intentions", adding: "But in a way, you could say exactly the same about Keir when Keir came in."
He continued: “I think it needs somebody who’s prepared to be unpopular for a period of time to get the big issues sorted out.”
Starmer has since demanded an apology from Ratcliffe as he called the comments "offensive" and "wrong", adding: "Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country. Jim Ratcliffe should apologise."
Topics: Man Utd, Premier League, Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Jack Kenmare