Andy Burnham has called for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to withdraw his comments after the billionaire Manchester United co-owner suggested that Britain is being “colonised by immigrants”.
The businessman, who has been living in tax-free Monaco since 2020 and is founder and chair of one of the world’s largest chemical companies, Ineos, said that immigration is “costing too much money” due to the number of people “on benefits”.
He told Sky News on Wednesday evening: “You can’t have an economy with 9 million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in.
“I mean, the UK is being colonised. It’s costing too much money. The UK has been colonised by immigrants.”
The prime minister responded with a statement on X, saying: “Offensive and wrong. Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country. Jim Ratcliffe should apologise.”
The Greater Manchester mayor added pressure on Sir Jim, saying: “These comments go against everything for which Manchester has traditionally stood: a place where people of all races and faiths have pulled together over centuries to build our city and our institutions – including Manchester United FC.
“Calling for curbs on levels of immigration is one thing, portraying those who come here as a hostile invading force is quite another. It is inaccurate, insulting and inflammatory and should be withdrawn.”
