“The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn’t it?"
Sir Keir Starmer has told Sir Jim Ratcliffe to apologise after the billionaire claimed Britain had been “colonised” by immigrants.
The Prime Minister said the remarks were “offensive and wrong” and urged the Manchester United co-owner to withdraw them, as political and charity leaders condemned the language.
Sir Jim, who also owns chemicals giant Ineos, made the comments during an interview with Sky News:
“You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in.
“If you really want to deal with the major issues of immigration, with people opting to take benefits rather than working for a living … then you’re going to have to do some things which are unpopular, and show some courage.”
He also wrongly claimed Britain’s population had risen by 12 million people in the past five years to reach 70 million, blaming migration for the increase.
He added: “The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn’t it?”
In a post on X, the Prime Minister said: “Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country.
“Jim Ratcliffe should apologise.”
Sir Jim argued that the Government must confront what he described as structural economic weaknesses.
He said: “You have to do some difficult things with the UK to get it back on track, because at the moment I don’t think the economy is in a good state.”
He added that he was unsure whether the Prime Minister was being constrained by “the apparatus” or whether he was “maybe too nice”.
Sir Jim also referenced Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, saying he was, like Sir Keir, “an intelligent man” with “good intentions”.
He said the country needed “somebody who’s prepared to be unpopular for a period of time to get the big issues sorted out”.
His remarks prompted swift criticism from Labour figures and anti-racism campaigners.
Alex Sobel, Labour MP for Leeds Central, said:
“To seek to stigmatise immigrants and welfare claimants in this way is shameful.”
“These are outrageous and inflammatory remarks from an out-of-touch multimillionaire businessman who clearly has no empathy with hard-pressed families.”
Offensive and wrong.
Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country.
Jim Ratcliffe should apologise.https://t.co/7mSnVV33oo
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) February 11, 2026
A spokesman for the charity Show Racism The Red Card said:
“Language of this kind echoes narratives that have historically been used to stigmatise migrant communities, fuel division, and legitimise hostility toward minority groups.”
Migration levels have fallen sharply from their recent peak. Net migration reached 204,000 in the year to June 2025, down from 944,000 in the year to March 2023.
Many economists expect the figure to decline further to around 100,000, or potentially close to zero, during 2026.
Office for National Statistics data shows the UK population stood at 67 million in 2020, not 58 million as claimed by Sir Jim. The most recent estimate placed the population at 69.3 million in mid-2024.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe made the remarks while speaking to Sky News from Antwerp, where he was lobbying European leaders meeting to discuss ways to revive the Continent’s struggling economy.
Sir Jim has since apologised for his comments. In a statement, he said:
“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.
“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.”
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