British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has fired back at Manchester United co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, describing his immigration comments as “offensive and wrong”.
The row started after the billionaire businessman claimed the United Kingdom had been “colonised by immigrants”.
Sir Jim, who founded chemicals giant Ineos, made the remarks during an interview with Sky News at the European Industry Summit held in Antwerp, Belgium.
Speaking on immigration and welfare, he said rising migration and benefit payments were putting pressure on the UK economy.
“You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,” he said. “The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn’t it?”
He also claimed the UK population rose from 58 million in 2020 to 70 million today.
However, data from the Office for National Statistics shows the UK population was about 66.7 million in mid-2020 and increased to 69.4 million by mid-2025 — a rise of about 2.7 million.
Responding to the remarks, Starmer said Britain remains “a proud, tolerant and diverse country” and called on the billionaire to apologise.
A Downing Street spokesperson added that the comments “play into the hands of those who want to divide our country”.
Sir Jim insisted political leaders must be ready to make tough and unpopular decisions to tackle immigration and welfare challenges.
“If you really want to deal with the major issues of immigration… you’re going to have to do some things which are unpopular, and show some courage,” he said, adding that the prime minister faced a “tough job”.
The comments have sparked strong reactions across UK politics.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described the remarks as “totally wrong” and “out of step with British values”.
Labour MP Stella Creasy said Sir Jim did “not seem to understand the contribution” immigrants make to the country.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Britain had experienced “unprecedented mass immigration” that had changed communities, adding that while Labour may “try to ignore that”, Reform would not.
Manchester United fan groups also criticised the comments.
The Manchester United Supporters Trust said no fan should feel excluded because of race, religion or background, stressing that club leadership should unite supporters.
The Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club said it was “deeply concerned”, warning that the word “colonised” reflects language often linked to far-right narratives portraying migrants as invaders.
Anti-racism groups Kick It Out and Show Racism the Red Card also condemned the remarks as divisive.
Meanwhile, The 1958 Group of supporters described the comments as “very ill-advised” and questioned why Sir Jim was speaking strongly on UK issues while living in Monaco.
Sir Jim, 73, bought a 27.7 per cent stake in Manchester United in 2024 and has since overseen major restructuring at the club, including job cuts and management shake-ups.
He admitted some decisions have been unpopular but insisted they were necessary to “get the big issues sorted out”.
According to the Sunday Times Rich List, Sir Jim is the seventh richest person in the UK with an estimated net worth of £17 billion. He reportedly relocated to Monaco in 2020
