Ratcliffe Sorry Language ‘Offended Some’ After Immigration Comments

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has apologised for “offending some people” with his language after saying the UK had been “colonised by immigrants”, but maintained an “open debate” on the matter was needed.

The billionaire co-owner of Manchester United had faced criticism from Sir Keir Starmer, who described his comments on Wednesday as “offensive and wrong”.

On Thursday, Sir Jim 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.”

The club has not directly addressed the remarks, but said it “prides itself” on being “inclusive”.

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Should the FA formally investigate Sir Jim’s comments and choose to charge the 73-year-old under its own rules, he could face further punishment.

His earlier comments to Sky News had drawn criticism from Manchester United fan groups. He said: “You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in.

“I mean, the UK has been colonised. It’s costing too much money. The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn’t it?”

He incorrectly claimed the population of the UK had risen by 12 million to 70 million people in the last five years. The Office for National Statistics estimates it has actually risen from 66.7 million to 69.4 million, an increase of less than three million.

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