Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe claims the UK is ‘on the slide’

The Ineos founder has spoken just months after apologising for comments suggesting that the UK had been ‘colonised by immigrants’

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe believes the UK is ‘on the slide’ and that politicians must act to deal with ‘immigration and benefits problems’. Ratcliffe, whose petrochemical giant Ineos owns a large stake in United, landed himself in hot water in February after claiming the UK had been ‘colonised by immigrants’.

Ratcliffe apologised for those comments, stating: “I am sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe, but it is important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth. My comments were made while answering questions about UK policy at the European Industry Summit in Antwerp, where I was discussing the importance of economic growth, jobs, skills and manufacturing in the UK.

“My intention was to stress that governments must manage migration alongside investment in skills, industry and jobs so that long-term prosperity is shared by everyone. It is critical that we maintain an open debate on the challenges facing the UK.”

Greater Manchester Mayor at the time, now Prime Minister, Andy Burnham called out Ratcliffe, describing the comments as ‘inaccurate, insulting and inflammatory’. United’s Muslim Supporters’ Club also criticised the billionaire, stating: “It was inflammatory, it was divisive and it was just totally uncalled for.”

Since then, Ratcliffe has kept out of the political spotlight, until now. Speaking to the BBC in Denmark at the launch of the EU’s first carbon capture and storage system (CCS), he said: “Unfortunately at the moment, the UK is on the slide and it is quite difficult to see how we arrest it.

“Ultimately we need two things, we need politicians who are tough enough to deal with some very difficult problems, and we know what the problems are, and we need politicians who will make decisions which are good for the country, not good for themselves and their party. We haven’t had one of those for a very long time.

“Nobody is tough enough to deal with the immigration problem, nobody is tough enough to deal with the benefits problem, but somebody needs to do it because otherwise it ends in a bad place, doesn’t it.”

Ratcliffe added: “In America they applaud people who create wealth. Unfortunately the UK has got a bit of a green eye towards wealth at the moment.”

Last Sunday, United fans protested against Ratcliffe and the Glazer family’s ownership of the club. This was after the club stripped 685 fans of their season tickets, and sent warnings or sanctions to a further 464 supporters, to crack down on what the club describes as ‘ticket touting’.

“I hope Jim Ratcliffe’s watching this now, because my message to that man is sell this football club,” Steve Crompton, spokesperson for The 1958 told the Manchester Evening News last weekend.

The 73-year-old Failsworth billionaire was a supporter of Brexit during the EU referendum. However, since 2020, he has been a tax resident in Monaco. He concluded that ‘things would have to get better,’ before he returned to the UK.