“The United Kingdom was colonized by immigrants”: the controversial exit of Jim Ratcliffe, the owner of Manchester United

His words risk causing a reaction. Usually discreet in the media, Jim Ratcliffe, founder of the petrochemical group Ineos and co-owner of Manchester United, ventured into the political arena this Wednesday February 11. During an interview with Sky News, the 73-year-old billionaire was asked about the state of British society. And his response was very precise.

“We cannot have an economy with nine million people dependent on social assistance and a massive influx of immigrants,” declared the business leader, who also owns OGC Nice. “The UK was colonized by immigrants, wasn’t it? I mean, the population of the UK was 58 million in 2020, now it’s 70 million. This represents 12 million people,” he said, according to imprecise figures,Office for National Statistics (ONS) speaking rather of 67 million inhabitants in mid-2020 for 70 million in mid-2024.

Jim Ratcliffe even took the opportunity to attack British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s record. “Keir is a nice man, I like him, but it’s a difficult job and I think tough steps need to be taken to get the UK back on track because at the moment the economy is not doing well. »

“Take unpopular action and show courage”

If he did not clearly take a position in his favor, Ratcliffe, also owner of the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team, revealed that he met Nigel Farage, a politician and figure of the British sovereignist right. “I think Nigel is an intelligent man and he has good intentions,” he said of the Reform leader.

“I think you need someone who is willing to be unpopular for a while to resolve the big problems,” analyzed the Manchester United boss, not hesitating to compare the situation in his country to his management of the Red Devils. “I was very unpopular at Manchester United because we made a lot of changes. But for the best, in my opinion. And I think we are starting to see encouraging signs within the club. »

“But you have the same problems with the country,” he continued. “If you really want to tackle the major problems with immigration, including the fact that some people choose to collect benefits rather than work for a living, if you want to solve this problem, then you are going to have to take unpopular action and show courage. »

Much criticized since taking power at Manchester United at the end of 2023 via the Ineos group, Jim Ratcliffe has so far had a poor record at the head of the club of his heart. Between sporting crisis, austerity policy and internal restructuring, his management is in the same way tense the supporters and the former glories of the Mancunian club, like Éric Cantona, who had accused the new owners of wanting to “destroy everything” at MU.