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ShareSummary: Keir Starmer has demanded Sir Jim Ratcliffe apologise after the Manchester United co-owner said the UK has been “colonised by immigrants”. The Prime Minister branded the remarks “offensive and wrong”. But the clash raises a bigger question: is Labour trying to silence criticism of record migration figures instead of answering growing public concern?
Starmer Orders Apology After “Colonised” Comments
According to GB News, Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly demanded an apology from Sir Jim Ratcliffe after the billionaire warned that Britain is being “colonised” by immigrants.
Ratcliffe made the remarks during an interview with Sky News, arguing that migration levels and welfare dependency were economically unsustainable.
“You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,” Ratcliffe said.
“I mean, the UK has been colonised. It’s costing too much money. The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn’t it?”
Starmer responded bluntly on social media:
“Offensive and wrong. Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country. Jim Ratcliffe should apologise.”
That was the Prime Minister’s position. Short. Sharp. Moral condemnation.
But here is the awkward bit. Ratcliffe is not some fringe activist. He backed Brexit. He later supported Labour ahead of the 2024 General Election. He even described Starmer as a “nice man”.
This is not an opposition attack. This is criticism from someone who once stood close to the Prime Minister.
The Numbers Starmer Didn’t Address
Ratcliffe’s comments focused heavily on population growth and migration figures.
“I mean, the population of the UK was 58 million in 2020, now it’s 70 million. That’s 12 million people.”
Official Office for National Statistics data shows the UK population rising from 58.9 million in 2000 to 69.3 million in mid-2024. Net migration peaked at 944,000 in the year ending June 2023, compared to around 250,000 in the mid-2000s.
These are not fringe numbers. They are official figures.
Yet Starmer’s response did not challenge the data. He did not dispute the economic pressure argument. He focused purely on the language.
That choice matters.
Because for many working families facing housing shortages, stretched GP services and rising rents, the debate is not about vocabulary. It is about capacity and cost.
This is where things get complicated for the Prime Minister.
In 2025, Starmer himself warned Britain risked “becoming an island of strangers” while announcing tougher migration measures. He later expressed “deep regrets” after critics accused him of echoing language associated with Enoch Powell.
Now he is condemning Ratcliffe for going too far.
That leaves Labour walking a narrow line. Talk tough to voters concerned about migration. Reassure activists and supporters worried about tone.
Meanwhile, others piled in.
Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith responded to Ratcliffe describing Starmer as “nice”:
“Anyone who gives away the Chagos Islands, makes Rachel Reeves Chancellor, refused a grooming gang enquiry, wants to prosecute military veterans and vindictively attacks independent education … is not a ‘nice man’.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage added:
“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.”
The Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club also criticised Ratcliffe, warning that such language “echoes language frequently used in far-right narratives”.
So here is the real issue.
Starmer has chosen to fight the tone of the argument. Others are fighting over the numbers. Voters are left watching both sides and asking a simpler question.
Is immigration under control?
Until that question is answered clearly, rows like this will keep exploding. And every time they do, Labour looks caught between moral messaging and public frustration.
