Man Utd co-owner Ratcliffe’s anti-immigrant rhetoric sparks outrage

Fan fury grows, with Man U supporters accusing tycoon of echoing ‘far-right narratives’ that have ‘real-world’ impact.Published On 12 Feb 2026Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe is facing a growing backlash after claiming this week that the United Kingdom had been “colonised by immigrants”, stoking racial hostilities pushed by the far right.Politicians, campaigners and fan groups condemned the billionaire’s remarks made in an interview with Sky News broadcast on Wednesday, which saw him suggest “huge levels of immigration” had damaged the economy.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Why the UK’s toughest immigration voices are often politicians of colourlist 2 of 4‘It hurts me’: Guardiola says he will continue to stand up for Palestinelist 3 of 4By-election in northern England tests Labour’s grip on heartland voterslist 4 of 4Man Utd strike late as Carrick extends perfect start in Fulham thrillerend of list“You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,” he said, prompting Prime Minister Keir Starmer to demand on X that he apologise for his “offensive and wrong” comments.Posting on X on Thursday, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, a member of Starmer’s Labour Party, said Ratcliffe should withdraw his “inaccurate, insulting, inflammatory” depiction of immigrants as “a hostile invading force”.Burnham noted that footballers who had come from all over the world to play in Manchester and people working in the National Health Service (NHS) and other essential services had “enhanced the life of our city-region”, suggesting that Monaco-based Ratcliffe had “spent years siphoning wealth” out of the club while making “little contribution” to local life.Justice minister Jake Richards told the BBC’s breakfast programme that he viewed the tax exile’s comments as “absurd”. “Jim Ratcliffe has moved to Monaco to save 4-billion-pound [$5.5bn] worth of tax in this country. One might question whether he is the patriot we need to comment on this issue,” he said.