By William James
LONDON, Feb 11 (Reuters) – British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe said on Thursday he was sorry that Prime Minister Keir Starmer had offended some people after he joined a group criticizing Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s comments that the country had been “colonized by immigrants”.
Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s most successful businessmen, responded to the outrage with a statement saying it was important to raise the issue of immigration, but he regretted that his “choice of language” had caused concern.
The founder of chemical giant INEOS, and owner of almost a third of Manchester United, told Sky News that high migration and people living on benefits were hurting the economy.
Finance Minister: Comments were ‘insulting’
“You have nine million people benefiting from the economy and massive immigration coming in. I mean, Britain is colonized – it’s costing a lot of money,” Ratcliffe said in an interview broadcast Wednesday.
“Britain has been colonized by immigrants, really, hasn’t it?” He added.
Starr said the comment was wrong and would play into the hands of those who want to divide the country. Finance Minister Rachel Reeves said the comments were “unacceptable” and “disgusting”.
On Thursday, INEOS released a statement from Ratcliffe in response to “the reporting of his comments”.
“I am sorry that my choice of language has offended and caused concern to some people in Britain and Europe but it is important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth,” he said.
He wanted to stress that the government must manage migration alongside investment in skills, industry and jobs to ensure long-term prosperity is shared by all, and stressed that “it is vital that we continue to have an open debate on the challenges facing Britain”.
Starr’s spokesperson said it was the right thing for her to apologise. Asked whether an apology about the offense rather than the comments was sufficient, the spokesman said questions about the details of the apology were for Ratcliffe.
Manchester United fans use ‘Colony’ flag
His comments were condemned by politicians, campaigners and Manchester United fan groups, with its pro-Muslim club saying the word “colony” was often used by far-right activists to frame immigrants as invaders.
“Public discourse shapes public behavior,” the group said. “When influential figures adopt language that mirrors extremist talking points, it risks legitimizing prejudice and deepening division.”
Others said Manchester United’s first team was largely made up of international players and staff, and questioned whether Ratcliffe should be commenting on British politics while moving to tax haven Monaco.
Before Ratcliffe’s response, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said Ratcliffe’s comments were inflammatory and should be withdrawn.
The immigration debate has intensified
Immigration has consistently been a top voter concern in the UK, according to opinion polls, and has helped fuel the rise of Nigel Farage’s right-wing democratic party Reform UK.
Rhetoric about immigration has hardened in recent years, and last summer a wave of protests erupted outside hotels housing refugees. There were also widespread riots in 2024, sparked by false information spread online that a teenager who killed three teenage girls was an Islamic immigrant.
Sky said Ratcliffe had cited false figures to back up his argument. He said that the population has increased from 58 million to 70 million since 2020. The Office for National Statistics estimates that the UK population will reach 67 million in mid-2020 and 69 million in mid-2024.
The population in 2000 was approximately 59 million. Ratcliffe and his office did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters about the data he used.
Farage responded to comments that Britain had undergone mass immigration which had changed the character of many areas of the country. “Labour can try to ignore it but reform won’t,” he said.
(Reporting by Sam Tabhriti, William James and Muwija M; Writing by Kate Holton; Editing by Edward Tobin, Toby Chopra and Andrew Havens)
