Ministers have doubled down on insisting that Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe should apologise for claiming the UK has been “colonised” by immigrants.
The billionaire, who is founder and chairman of one of the world’s largest chemical companies, Ineos, said in an interview that “the UK has been colonised by immigrants”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday night described the comments as “offensive and wrong” and called on Sir Jim to apologise.
On Thursday morning, one of his ministers went further, suggesting the businessman was “hypocritical” because “this man who moved to Monaco to save £4 billion in tax is now lecturing us about immigration”.
Justice minister Jake Richards was asked by Times Radio why Sir Jim should apologise.
He told the broadcaster: “Well, he certainly doesn’t have to apologise for having an opinion.
“But personally, and I think, the Prime Minister thinks, that that language is offensive to so many people.
“It is completely absurd to think that our country is being ‘colonised’, which implies some kind of invasion or taken over. That’s not right at all.”
Mr Richards said it was “absolutely legitimate” to raise concerns about levels of immigration, and acknowledged worries about integration and social cohesion are a “really important” part of the migration debate.
The minister added: “But let’s just be very clear that Jim Ratcliffe’s comments yesterday both were offensive in terms of the language used, he got his facts wrong, and there’s also something that I find quite offensive, that this man who moved to Monaco to save £4 billion in tax is now lecturing us about immigration.
“There’s something that I find slightly hypocritical about that.”
Elsewhere, 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.”
Offensive and wrong.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) February 11, 2026
Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country.
Jim Ratcliffe should apologise.https://t.co/7mSnVV33oo
On Wednesday, Sir Keir responded to Sir Jim’s comments on social media site X, where he wrote: “Offensive and wrong. Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country.
“Jim Ratcliffe should apologise.”
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 spokesperson 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 is being colonised. It’s costing too much money. The UK has been colonised by immigrants.”
Sir Jim added: “If you really want to deal with the major issues of immigration, with people opting to take benefits rather than working for a living, if you want to deal with that, then you are going to have to do some things which are unpopular and show some courage.”
In the interview, Sir Jim said the Prime Minister was “maybe too nice”.
He added: “It’s a tough job, and I think you have to do some difficult things with the UK to get it back on track.”
The Manchester United co-owner said Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was an “intelligent man” with “good intentions”.
He added: “But in a way, you could say exactly the same about Keir when Keir came in.
“I think it needs somebody who’s prepared to be unpopular for a period of time to get the big issues sorted out.”
Sir Jim bought a minority share in Manchester United in late 2023 and his Ineos group has since taken control of football operations.
The billionaire has presided over a variety of contentious changes since becoming part of the ownership, with ticket pricing and availability causing particular anger among United fans.
A protest against the club’s owners, including for the first time towards Sir Jim as well as the Glazers, took place before Manchester United’s recent home game against Fulham.
