LONDON (AP) — The billionaire co-owner of the Manchester United soccer team apologized Thursday after he triggered a storm of criticism by saying that Britain had been “colonized” by immigrants.
The original comments from Jim Ratcliffe, who is also the founder and chairman of chemicals maker Ineos, had drawn a swift rebuke from Prime Minister Keir Starmer who described them as “offensive and wrong.” That sentiment was seconded by many soccer fans and figures across the spectrum of U.K. politics.
The controversial remarks came in a wide-ranging interview with Sky News in which Ratcliffe touched on the challenges facing the European chemicals industry, politics and the weakness of the U.K. economy. They were a top news story in Britain where his position as one of the country’s richest people and the co-owner of one of its most successful soccer clubs make him an influential voice on politics and the economy.
Ratcliffe said Thursday that he had intended to stress the need for governments to manage migration and invest in the economy to ensure “long-term prosperity is shared by everyone.
“I am sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the U.K. and Europe and caused concern,” he said in a statement. “But it is important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth.”
Ratcliffe’s comments touched a nerve in Britain, where immigration is a divisive issue. While many people celebrate the contributions of immigrants, others complain that the newcomers are straining public services and failing to integrate into British society.
The upstart Reform Party and its leader, Nigel Farage, have used anti-immigrant policies to push their way into the mainstream of British politics. Reform, which won just five seats in Parliament in 2024, now leads most nationwide opinion polls.
Starmer’s left-leaning Labour Party won a landslide victory in that election but is now fighting for survival after a series of policy missteps and its failure to prevent thousands of asylum seekers from crossing the English Channel on inflatable boats. The prime minister took to social media late Wednesday to criticize Ratcliffe.
“Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country,’’ Starmer said on X. “Jim Ratcliffe should apologize.”
Even the team itself felt it necessary to issue a statement given the backlash, insisting it is an “inclusive and welcoming club” with a “diverse group of players.”
Others accused Ratcliffe of “hypocrisy” because he has chosen to make his home in Monaco to reduce his U.K. tax bill.
“There’s also something that I find quite offensive, that this man who moved to Monaco to save 4 billion pounds ($5.46 billion) in tax is now lecturing us about immigration,” Justice Minister Jake Richards told Times Radio.
Ratcliffe told Sky News that the U.K. has “lots of problems,” including a weak economy, crime and a struggling health care system. The government won’t be able to control immigration or deal with the problem of people choosing to live on social welfare payments rather than work for a living unless it is willing to make difficult choices, he said.
“You can’t have an economy with 9 million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,” Ratcliffe said. “I mean, the U.K.’s been colonized.”
The use of the word “colonized’’ is problematic because it suggests immigrants are taking over, said Sunder Katwala, head of the think tank Britain First, which studies public attitudes on immigration and integration. This is particularly true in Britain, which is re-examining its own history as a nation that once colonized large parts of the world.
“I think the language of colonized is that (of) dominance, subjugation, dispossession,’’ Katwala told the BBC. “It’s very hard to have that debate in a way that makes sense to all the different kinds of people in Britain — white, Black and Asian — rather than seeming to be an argument about one group against another group.”
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, said that his city in northern England is a place where people of all races and backgrounds have “pulled together” to build the community and institutions like Manchester United.
“Calling for curbs on levels of immigration is one thing, portraying those who come here as a hostile invading force is quite another,” Burnham wrote on X. “It is inaccurate, insulting and inflammatory and should be withdrawn.”
“If any criticism is needed, it should be directed towards those who have offered little contribution to our life here and have instead spent years siphoning wealth out of one of our proudest institutions,” he wrote.
Anti-racism groups also challenged Ratcliffe on his figures. He said that the U.K. population had grown to 70 million from 58 million in 2020. But the Office for National Statistics said that the U.K. population was 67 million in 2020 and was estimated to be 69.5 million in 2025.
“In addition to the inaccurate figures mentioned, it’s worth reminding him that Manchester United has a diverse fan base and plays in a city whose cultural history has been enriched by immigrants,” the campaign group Kick It Out, which fights racism in soccer, said in a statement. “This type of language and leadership has no place in English football, and we believe most fans will feel the same.”
Ratcliffe, a boyhood fan of United, paid $1.3 billion for an initial 25% stake in the club in 2024.
He has faced protests from fans in recent weeks as supporters have criticized the United’s ownership — including the U.S. Glazer family — over the running of the club.
Ratcliffe’s investment saw him assume control of soccer operations after years of decline following the retirement of longtime manager Alex Ferguson in 2013. But he presided over United’s worst-ever Premier League season last year, and instigated swathes of cost-cutting measures, while increasing ticket prices.
Ratcliffe acknowledged that recent decisions had made him unpopular with Manchester United fans. But he said those changes were needed to make the club successful, just as the government must mark tough choices to turn the country around.
“You’ve got all the same issues with the country, don’t you?” he said. “If you want to deal the major issues … then you’re going to have to do some things that are unpopular.”
James Robson contributed to this report from Manchester.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham speaks at a Resolution Foundation event on working-age families, at the Methodist Central Hall in central London, Tuesday Feb. 10, 2026. (Jordan Pettitt/PA via AP)
FILE - Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe stands in front of the former manager Alex Ferguson during the Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Manchester United in Manchester, England, on Sept. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson, File)
