Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has claimed that Britain has been ‘colonised’ by immigrants who are ‘costing too much money’. 

The 73-year-old businessman also questioned whether Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is the right man to lead the country forward in a bombshell new interview, arguing ‘he may be too nice’. 

‘You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,’ the Englishman told Sky News ahead of the European Industry Summit in Antwerp, Belgium.

‘I mean, the UK has been colonised. It’s costing too much money. The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn’t it? I mean, the population of the UK was 58 million in 2020, now it’s 70 million. That’s 12 million people.

He added: ‘I don’t know whether it’s just the apparatus that hasn’t allowed Keir to do it or, or he’s maybe too nice – I mean, Keir is a nice man.

‘I like him, but it’s a tough job and I think you have to do some difficult things with the UK to get it back on track, because at the moment I don’t think the economy is in a good state.’ 

The population of the UK was estimated to have been 70 million in mid-2024, according to the Office of National Statistics, three million higher than that recorded during 2020. 

65,922 migrants have reached the United Kingdom since Starmer’s time on Downing Street began in July 2024 – that’s more than under any other PM in history. 

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has claimed that Britain has been ‘colonised’ by immigrants he says are ‘costing too much money’

The 73-year-old businessman also revealed that he is unsure whether Sir Keir Starmer is the right man for Prime Minister

Sir Keir has come under mounting pressure and this week endured the toughest stint of 18 months in office amid the scandal which saw Lord Peter Mandelson resign from government.  

He faced calls to resign from opposition leaders and, in a damning turn of events, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also pleaded with him to walk away on Monday. 

But at a meeting with his Parliamentary Labour Party later that evening, the Prime Minister affirmed that he has no intentions to give up. 

Earlier on Monday he had received backing from both Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves which strengthened his position. 

In his new interview, Sir Jim also revealed that he has met with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who he describes as ‘an intelligent man’.  

He added: ‘I think he’s got good intentions. But, in way, you could say exactly the same about Keir Starmer. 

‘I think it needs somebody who’s prepared to be unpopular for a period of time to get the big issues sorted.’ 

One of Britain’s richest men, Ratcliffe has been widely unpopular with Man United fans since purchasing his stake in the club on December 24, 2023. His group also owns Ligue 1 side Nice after completing a takeover deal in 2019.

He is estimated to be worth around £17billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich List in 2025, making him the seventh wealthiest person in the country. 

Ratcliffe has been widely unpopular with Man United fans since purchasing his stake in the club on December 24, 2023

65,922 migrants have reached the United Kingdom since Starmer’s time on Downing Street began in July 2024 – that’s more than under any other PM in history

However in the last year alone, the Lancashire-born business owner has seen his riches decline from by some £6billion, likely due to the expenses of running United.

‘I’ve been very unpopular at Manchester United because we’ve made lots of changes,’ he admitted. ‘But, for the better, in my view. I think we’re beginning to see some evidence in the football club that that’s beginning to pay off.’ 

The 219 migrants who reached British shores on Sunday saw February 8 saw the total who have entered Britain under Starmer’s supremacy surpass the number under Boris Johnson.  

One of Sir Keir’s first acts in office after the 2024 general election was scrapping the previous government’s Rwanda asylum deal.

The programme had been designed to deter crossings – and save lives – by sending migrants to the east African country to claim asylum there rather than here.

Labour’s flagship policy is a ‘one in, one out’ deal with France which allows a small number of migrants to be sent back across the Channel. 

The Lord Mandelson scandal brought Starmer’s tenure in government to the brink of disaster and preceded the resignations of a number of his most senior figures. 

After the disgraced Mandelson walked away to ‘avoid further embarrassment’, the PM’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney handed in his resignation on Sunday. 

McSweeney had been influential in the appointment of Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US – a decision he admitted was ‘wrong’ in a farewell statement. 

Later, Starmer’s communications director Tim Allen quit on Monday to ‘let a new team’ take over in Number 10, he said. 

Despite the Labour leader seemingly strengthening his position following a meeting with his party later that day, fresh doubts have since been cast over his judgement. 

Sir Keir’s woes deepened amid claims he went ahead with a peerage for ex-communications chief Tim Allen despite knowing about his ties to paedophile councillor Sean Morton.  

He has apologised for campaigning for Morton in 2017 – after the latter had been charged over indecent images of children – saying he believed his friend’s assertions of innocence.

Party chair Anna Turley is calling for Lord Doyle to be kicked out of the Upper House, insisting he did not tell the truth before being elevated by Sir Keir.

No 10 is adamant Lord Doyle’s actions were not known when the peerage was announced on December 10 last year.

However, there are mounting questions about the timeline, with the Sunday Times having claimed that No 10 looked into the issues beforehand.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow.