'UK colonised by immigrants': Billionaire Ratcliffe's remark causes uproar

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's immigration comments prompt criticism from Keir Starmer, Ed Davey and Stella Creasy as UK migration rules tighten

Billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Wednesday sparked political backlash after saying that the UK has been “colonized” by immigrants and arguing that high migration is placing pressure on the state.

 

In an interview with Sky News, the founder of chemicals group Ineos and part-owner of Manchester United said immigration was among the country’s most pressing political, social and economic challenges.

 

“You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,” Ratcliffe said. “The UK has been colonized. It’s costing too much money.”

 

He recently met Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, and described him in the Sky interview as “an intelligent man” with “good intentions”. Ratcliffe added that the same could be said of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but that “difficult things” needed to be done to get the economy back on track.

 

What did Ratcliffe say about immigration?

 

The businessman said the UK population had risen from 58 million in 2020 to 70 million currently. That estimate differs from official data.

 

Provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics put the UK population at 69.5 million in mid 2025, up from 67.1 million in mid 2020.

 

How did Keir Starmer and others respond?

 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the remarks as “offensive and wrong”.

 

He said Britain was “a proud, tolerant and diverse country” and called on Sir Jim to apologise.

 

A Downing Street spokesperson said the comments “play into the hands of those who want to divide our country”.

 

Responding to Sir Keir’s criticism, Nigel Farage wrote on X: “Britain has undergone unprecedented mass immigration that has changed the character of many areas in our country.

 

“Labour may try to ignore that but Reform won’t.”

 

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Sir Jim’s remarks were “totally wrong” and “totally out of step with British values”, and also called on him to apologise.

 

Labour MP for Walthamstow Stella Creasy wrote on X that Sir Jim did “not seem to understand the contribution” immigrants made to “his own team, let alone this country”.

 

What migration curbs has the UK introduced since 2025?

 

Since 2025, the UK has introduced a series of changes intended to reduce net migration and tighten enforcement.

 

Key measures include:

 

• In May 2025, the government published an immigration White Paper focused on cutting net migration from record levels, tightening visa eligibility and linking migration policy more closely to labour market priorities.

 

• The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 received royal assent in December 2025, widening enforcement powers such as right-to-work checks to curb illegal employment and improve employer compliance.

 

• The qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain was doubled from five to 10 years, with stricter criteria for settlement.

 

How have work and study visa rules changed?

 

Further changes were introduced to work and study routes.

 

• From July 2025, Skilled Worker visa rules were tightened, with applicants generally required to hold degree-level qualifications and meet a higher salary threshold of about £41,700. Many medium-skill roles were removed unless placed on a shortage list.

 

• English language requirements for skilled workers and other legal migration routes were raised to a higher standard, roughly equivalent to B2 level, applying to workers and dependants from January 8, 2026.

 

• Other sponsored routes and visitor categories were reviewed and tightened through additional rule changes during 2025 and into 2026.

 

What is the UK government’s latest asylum and returns policy?

 

The government has also taken steps on asylum and removals.

 

• Visa curbs were announced on countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo for failing to cooperate with the UK’s returns regime, alongside agreements with countries including Angola and Namibia to accept the return of migrants.

 

• Proposals under Labour’s asylum reforms from late 2025 include much longer waits for asylum decisions, stretching to up to 20 years in some cases, and expanded use of returns to countries judged safe, reflecting pressure over cross-Channel arrivals.