Ratcliffe says he is sorry his UK ‘colonised by immigrants’ remark offended some

by William James

LONDON, Feb 11 (Reuters) – British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe said on Thursday he was sorry for offending some people by saying the country was “colonized by immigrants” after Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined a chorus of criticism over the remarks.

Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s most successful businessmen, responded to this outcry with a statement saying that it was important to raise the issue of immigration but regretted that his “choice of language” had caused concern.

The founder of chemicals giant INEOS and owner of almost a third of Manchester United told Sky News that high immigration and people living on benefits were hurting the economy.

MINISTER OF FINANCE: COMMENTS ‘disgusting’

“You can’t have an economy where nine million people are on benefits and a lot of immigrants are coming in. I mean, the UK has been colonised, it costs a lot of money,” Ratcliffe said in the interview published on Wednesday.

“The UK was colonized by immigrants, right?” he added.

Starmer said that the words were 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 issued a statement in response to Ratcliffe’s “report of comments”.

“I am sorry that my choice of language has offended and caused concern to some people in the UK and Europe, but it is important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration, which supports economic growth,” he said.

He said governments needed to manage migration alongside investment in skills, industry and jobs to ensure long-term prosperity was shared by all, and he wanted to emphasize that “it is critical that we maintain an open debate on the challenges facing the UK”.

Starmer’s spokesman said it was right for him to apologize. When asked whether an apology for the offense caused rather than the comments themselves was sufficient, the spokesman said questions about the details of the apology were for Ratcliffe.

MANCHESTER UNITED FANS CAUGHT THE USE OF THE WORD ‘COLONIZED’

His comments were condemned by politicians, campaigners and supporters’ groups, including Manchester United’s Muslim Supporters’ Club, who said the term “colonised” was often used by far-right activists to portray immigrants as occupiers.

“Public discourse shapes public behavior,” the group said. “When influential people adopt language that echoes the speech of extremists, it risks legitimizing prejudice and deepening division.”

Others noted that Manchester United’s first team was largely made up of international players and staff and questioned whether Ratcliffe should be commenting on British politics when he moved to the tax haven of Monaco.

Before Ratcliffe’s response, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said Ratcliffe’s comments were provocative and should be retracted.

IMMIGRATION DEBATE HAS INCREASED

Immigration has consistently ranked among the top voter concerns in Britain, according to opinion polls, and has helped the rise of Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist party, Reform UK.

Rhetoric about immigration has hardened in recent years, and last summer a wave of protests broke out outside hotels housing asylum seekers. In 2024, widespread riots occurred, sparked by misinformation circulating on the internet that the teenager who killed three young girls was an Islamist immigrant.

Sky said Ratcliffe had given false figures to support his claim. He said the population has increased from 58 million to 70 million since 2020. The Office for National Statistics estimates the UK population to be 67 million in mid-2020 and 69 million in mid-2024.

The population was around 59 million in 2000. Ratcliffe and his office did not immediately respond to Reuters’ questions about the figures he used.

Farage responded to the comments by saying that Britain had experienced mass immigration, which had changed the character of many areas in the country. “Labour may try to ignore it but Reform won’t do that,” he said.

(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti, William James and Muvija M; writing by Kate Holton; Editing by Edward Tobin, Toby Chopra and Andrew Heavens)