Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has claimed that Britain has been ‘colonised’ by immigrants who 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 in a bombshell new interview, 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 ahead of the European Industry Summit in Antwerp, Belgium.
‘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.
Sir Keir has come under mounting pressure and this week endured the toughest stint of 18 months in office amid the scandal which saw Lord Peter Mandelson resign from government.
He faced calls to resign from opposition leaders and, in a damning turn of events, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also pleaded with him to walk away on Monday.
But at a meeting with his Parliamentary Labour Party later that evening, the Prime Minister affirmed that he has no intentions to give up.
Earlier on Monday he had received backing from both Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves which strengthened his position.
In his new interview, Sir Jim also revealed that he has met with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who he describes as ‘an intelligent man’.
He added: ‘I think he’s got good intentions. But, in way, you could say exactly the same about Keir Starmer.
‘I think it needs somebody who’s prepared to be unpopular for a period of time to get the big issues sorted.’
One of Britain’s richest men, Ratcliffe 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 takeover deal in 2019.
He is estimated to be worth around £17billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich List in 2025, making him the seventh wealthiest person in the country.
However in the last year alone, the Lancashire-born business owner has seen his riches decline from by some £6billion, likely due to the expenses of running United.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow.
