Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has claimed that Britain has been ‘colonised’ by immigrants he says are ‘costing too much money’.
The 73-year-old businessman also questioned whether Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is the right man to lead the country forward, arguing ‘he may be too nice’.
‘You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,’ the Englishman told Sky News.
‘I mean, the UK has been colonised. It’s costing too much money. The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn’t it? I mean, the population of the UK was 58 million in 2020, now it’s 70 million. That’s 12 million people.
He added: ‘I don’t know whether it’s just the apparatus that hasn’t allowed Keir to do it or, or he’s maybe too nice – I mean, Keir is a nice man.
‘I like him, but it’s a tough job and I think 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.’
The population of the UK was estimated to have been 70 million in mid-2024, according to the Office of National Statistics, three million higher than that recorded during 2020.
One of Britain’s richest men, Sir Jim has been widely unpopular with Man United fans since purchasing his stake in the club on December 24, 2023. His group also owns Ligue 1 side Nice after completing a deal for a takeover in 2019.
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has claimed that Britain has been ‘colonised’ by immigrants he says are ‘costing too much money’
The 73-year-old businessman also revealed that he is unsure whether Sir Keir Starmer is the right man for Prime Minister
