Man United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe claimed the UK has been 'colonised by immigrants'.
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe(Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
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The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) has called on the club's co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to make inclusion 'easier and not harder' after his controversial comments on immigration in the United Kingdom. In an interview with Sky News, Ratcliffe claimed the UK has been 'colonised by immigrants'.
"You can't have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in. I mean, the UK has been colonised. It's costing too much money," he said.
"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."
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In response to Ratcliffe's comments, MUST posted on X: "Manchester United belongs to all of its supporters. No fan should feel excluded from following or supporting the club because of their race, religion, nationality or background.
"Comments from the club’s senior leadership should make inclusion easier, not harder. This is not about politics; it is about ensuring that the custodians of Manchester United act in a way that unites supporters rather than marginalising any part of our fanbase."
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Ratcliffe, who resides in Monaco, became co-owner of United in February 2024. Since then, he has made a number of unpopular decisions at the club. Ahead of the victory over Fulham this month, fans protested against Ratcliffe and the Glazers.
Ratcliffe has called on the Labour government for support of the Old Trafford regeneration project, with Keir Starmer invited to the Reds' Premier League clash with Arsenal in 2024.
Reacting to Ratcliffe's comments on X, Starmer wrote: "Offensive and wrong. Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country. Jim Ratcliffe should apologise."