British billionaire and Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has said the United Kingdom has been “colonised by immigrants,” arguing that rapid population growth and high levels of migration are placing strain on the country’s economy and public services. In an interview with Sky News’ Ed Conway, Ratcliffe pointed to what he described as unsustainable demographic change and called for political leaders to take more decisive action.
“The UK has been colonised by immigrants,” Ratcliffe said. “The population of the UK was 58 million in 2020. Now it’s 70 million. That’s 12 million people.”
🇬🇧 Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire co-owner of Manchester United, says the UK has been colonised by immigrants:
— Europa.com (@europa) February 11, 2026
"The UK has been colonised by immigrants… the population of the UK was 58 million in 2020, now it's 70 million. That's 12 million people."
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Official figures suggest that the UK population has grown more gradually than Ratcliffe’s estimate. The Office for National Statistics reports the population was around 67 million in 2020 and has increased to roughly 68–69 million in recent years. While the rise is not as large as 12 million, net migration has been a significant factor in population growth, reaching historically high levels in recent years. For example, in the year ending June 2023, net migration was recorded at 745,000, contributing substantially to overall population change even as natural increase has slowed due to lower birth rates.
Ratcliffe argued that high levels of immigration, combined with welfare dependency, are contributing to broader economic challenges. “You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,” he said, adding that addressing these issues would require political leaders to make unpopular decisions.
Department for Work and Pensions data show that around nine million working-age people in the UK receive at least one type of health-related or income-related benefit, although this figure includes a wide range of support programs and does not equate to nine million unemployed individuals.
Ratcliffe, founder and chairman of chemicals giant INEOS and one of Britain’s wealthiest businessmen, has built his fortune in petrochemicals and industrial manufacturing. His comments reflect long-standing concerns among some business leaders about labor markets, productivity and the balance between immigration and domestic workforce participation.
During the interview, Ratcliffe said the country faces “lots of problems — the economy, crime, education, health,” and argued that meaningful reform would require political courage. Drawing a parallel with changes he has overseen at Manchester United, he said that necessary reforms often provoke resistance in the short term.
He suggested that Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whom he described as “a nice man,” faces structural and political constraints in tackling major issues. “I don’t know whether it’s the apparatus that hasn’t allowed Keir to do it, or whether he’s maybe too nice,” Ratcliffe said, adding that “it needs somebody who’s prepared to be unpopular for a period of time to sort out the big issues.”
Starmer has faced calls from political opponents and some critics to step aside over economic and migration challenges, but he has indicated he will not be walking away from his position and has defended his government’s approach. The Labour government has pledged to reduce net migration, reform the asylum system and increase domestic workforce participation, while balancing commitments to economic growth.
The intervention from one of the country’s most prominent industrialists adds to the wider discussion about how the UK balances economic growth, labor market needs and public service capacity in the years ahead.
