Ratcliffe Claims UK Colonised by Immigrants, Faces Criticism

British billionaire and Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe sparked widespread criticism on Wednesday after claiming in a Sky News interview that the United Kingdom has been "colonised by immigrants," linking high immigration levels to economic strain. Prime Minister Keir Starmer swiftly condemned the remarks as "offensive and wrong," urging Ratcliffe to apologize and emphasizing Britain's identity as a "proud, tolerant and diverse country."

Ratcliffe, the founder and chairman of chemicals giant Ineos, made the comments during an appearance at the European Industry Summit in Antwerp. He argued that the influx of immigrants, combined with nine million people on benefits, was unsustainable for the economy. "You can't have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in," he said. "I mean, the UK has been colonised. It's costing too much money." He further claimed the UK's population had risen from 58 million in 2020 to 70 million, attributing the 12 million increase largely to immigration.

Official data from the Office for National Statistics contradicts Ratcliffe's figures. The UK's population stood at approximately 67 million in...