Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of the football team Manchester United, has apologised for his previous comments claiming Britain is “colonised” by immigrants after facing backlash from the political left for his views.
Radcliffe issued a statement expressing regret over his remarks, saying, “I am sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe … It is important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth.”
The Football Association (FA) launched an investigation into his comments to see if they breach the organisation’s ‘hate speech’ policies, despite the apology. Another statement by Ratcliffe—”You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in”—is also under evaluation for potentially breaching the FA’s policies.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer—currently under pressure for appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S. despite knowing Mandelson had maintained ties with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein—still saw fit to call on the businessman to apologise for his statement, writing on X, “Offensive and wrong. Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country. Jim Ratcliffe should apologise.”
The head of government also not so long ago faced a backlash of his own after saying the UK risks becoming an “island of strangers.” He also later issued an apology for his statements, but comparisons immediately flooded in.
Reform UK politician Matt Goodwin responded to Keir Starmer on X, saying,
Two minutes ago you were telling us we are an “island of strangers” Which is it?
Conservative Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Mel Stride criticised the language used by the Manchester United co-owner while acknowledging wider public concern about migration levels.
However, Ratcliffe also received support from some political figures. Former Prime Minister Liz Truss praised him, stating: “Let’s see him and fellow business leaders step up and help fix the country. We need their skills. In particular they need to replace the senior bureaucrats who have failed.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage echoed Ratcliffe’s broader concerns. Responding to the prime minister’s call for an apology, he said on X, “Britain has undergone unprecedented mass immigration that has changed the character of many areas in our country. Labour may try to ignore that but Reform won’t.”
