The BBC reported on Friday that British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has vehemently criticized Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, for his statement claiming that "UK has been colonized by immigrants".

According to the report, Starmer harshly condemned Ratcliffe's remarks as arrogant, offensive, and extremely disrespectful, demanding that Ratcliffe issue a sincere apology to the British people and local immigrant communities as soon as possible.

He reiterated that the UK is a multi-ethnic country comprised of people from diverse cultural backgrounds, religions, languages, skin colours, and a highly inclusive society, and that Ratcliffe's comments not only contradict the values of the civilized world and his strong sense of self-superiority also have no place.

Following Starmer's remarks, political leaders from both the ruling and opposition parties in the UK also voiced their condemnation of Ratcliffe.

His arrogant comments immediately sparked considerable controversy in the world of football.

Among them, a journalist from The Athletic published a lengthy column harshly criticizing Ratcliffe's remarks, saying that he had indirectly damaged Manchester United's image.

The English Football Association (FA) followed suit, issuing a statement criticizing Ratcliffe and stating it would review his suitability as a co-owner of Manchester United.

Adidas, Manchester United's shirt sponsor, Adidas, also issued a statement condemning Ratcliffe and threatening to immediately cancel its £900 million sponsorship deal with the club.

The Times added that Ratcliffe's comments had led some investors involved in the construction of the Premier League giants' new stadium to consider withdrawing their investment.

Furthermore, an EPA reporter photographed protesters posting an advertisement near the gates of Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium that read, "Immigrants have done more for this city than billionaire tax dodger ever will," a scathing critique of Ratcliffe, who has been residing in the tax haven of Monaco since 2020.

As the controversy escalated, Ratcliffe finally apologized hours later through the official website of his multinational biochemicals company, INEOS, admitting that his inappropriate language had offended some people in the UK and Europe.

He said, "I am sorry that my words offended some people in the UK and Europe and caused them concern. But it is crucial to address the issue of controlling and properly managing immigration to promote economic growth."

"I made these remarks while answering questions about UK policy at the European Industrial Summit in Antwerp. At that time, I was discussing the importance of UK economic growth, jobs, skills, and manufacturing."

"My aim was to emphasize that the government must increase investment in skills, industry, and jobs while managing immigration, so that everyone can share in long-term prosperity. We must maintain open discussion about the challenges facing the UK."

Background of the incident

On Thursday, February 14, 2026 (UK time), Sky News exclusively broadcast a segment of an interview with Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

In the interview segment, the 71-year-old biochemical tycoon, the largest shareholder of Nice and Lausanne Sporting, made the outrageous statement saying that "UK has been colonized by immigrants," while also citing several flawed observations by the British government regarding immigration policy and immigrant population figures.

The shareholder of the Ligue 1 powerhouse said, "An economy cannot function with 9 million people receiving welfare payments while a large influx of immigrants occurs."

"I mean, the UK has been colonized. It's cost too much money. The UK has actually been colonized by immigrants, hasn't it? I mean, the UK population was 58 million in 2020, and now it's 70 million. That's an increase of 12 million people."

The UK Office for National Statistics estimates that the UK population will reach 69.5 million by November 2025, compared to 67.1 million in 2020. The Office for National Statistics also estimates that net long-term migration to the UK will reach 204,000 between 2024 and 2025.

According to a research brief from the UK House of Commons in January, 1.68 million people in the UK will be receiving unemployment-related benefits by December 2025.

Image source: Internet / EPA / The Athletic / BBC