Jim Ratcliffe issues non-apology after ‘colonised’ UK immigration comments spark backlash

Jim Ratcliffe is sorry if you’re upset after his comments regarding immigration the UK were widely condemned as inaccurate and offensive.

The Manchester United co-owner is never too far away from a microphone and has once again put the club in the headlines for the wrong reasons after making incorrect claims about immigration in the UK.

Speaking on Sky News, Ratcliffe said that immigrants had “colonised” the UK in a criticism of the government.

“You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in. I mean, the UK has been colonised. It’s costing too much money,” Ratcliffe, who resides in Monaco to avoid UK tax, said.

“The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn’t it? I mean, the population of the UK was 58 million in 2020 [Editor’s note – the ONS estimated that the population of the UK was 66.7 million in 2020] now it’s 70 million. That’s 12 million people.”

After a wide backlash to the claims, Ratcliffe has issued an explanation for his comments without offering much of an apology.

“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.”

The comments have drawn a lot of criticism including from the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer who suggested Ratcliffe should apologise, stating that Britain was “a proud, tolerant and diverse country.”

Ratcliffe has also been criticised by some within the football world, not least United’s own fans with the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust stating that senior club figures should not seek to exclude other fans based on their race, religion, nationality or background.

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“Manchester United belongs to all of its supporters,” it said in a statement on social media. “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 inclusion easier, not harder.

“This is not about politics; it is about ensuring that the custodians of Manchester United act in a way that unites supporters rather than marginalising any part of our fanbase.”

Ratcliffe has also been criticised by anti-racism groups Show Racism the Red Card and Kick It Out with the former saying inclusion by football clubs “should be used to challenge racism, not inadvertently amplify narratives that undermine community harmony”, while the latter said the comments were “disgraceful and deeply divisive.”

The comments are the latest PR own goal scored by Ratcliffe since taking over football operations at the club.

Ratcliffe also told Sky News that even if his decisions had been unpopular, he had had to make them “to get the big issues sorted out”.

“If you do difficult things, which we felt that we had to do at Manchester United… we felt like they were the right things to do. But you do become very unpopular for a while,” the 73-year-old said.

“But you’ve got all the same issues with the country. 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’re going to have to do some things which are unpopular, and show some courage.”

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