Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says he is "sorry that my choice of language has offended some people" after claiming Britain has been "colonised" by immigrants who are draining resources from the state.
In an interview with Sky News, Ratcliffe, the founder of the INEOS chemicals group, warned Britain faces profound political, social and economic challenges, among them an unprecedented rise in immigration in recent years.
"You can't have an economy with nine-million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in," he 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? I mean, the population of the UK was 58m in 2020, now it's 70m. That's 12m people."
However, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) estimates the population of the UK was 67m in mid-2020 and 70m in mid-2024. The UK population was estimated at 58.9m in 2000.
In a statement on Thursday, Ratcliffe said: "I am sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe and caused concern but it is important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth.
"My comments were made while answering questions about UK policy at the European Industry Summit in Antwerp, where I was discussing the importance of economic growth, jobs, skills and manufacturing in the UK.
"My intention was to stress that governments must manage migration alongside investment in skills, industry and jobs so that long-term prosperity is shared by everyone. It is critical that we maintain an open debate on the challenges facing the UK."
Sky Sports News has contacted Manchester United for comment. The Premier League did not wish to comment when approached by Sky Sports News on Wednesday evening.
The FA is understood to be looking into Ratcliffe's comments. English football's governing body will assess Ratcliffe's interview with Sky News to ascertain if his comments breached FA regulations.
Should the FA choose to formally investigate, the probe may be focused on FA Rule E3.1, which covers general behaviour.
The rule states: "A participant shall at all times act in the best interests of the game and shall not act in any manner which is improper or brings the game into disrepute or use any one, or a combination of, violent conduct, serious foul play, threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour."
Rule E3.2 states that a breach of Rule E3.1 would be considered an "aggravated breach" where it includes a reference, whether express or implied, to any one or more of the following - ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality, religion or belief, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation or disability.
Ratcliffe, as a club co-owner, is subject to FA rules as a participant.
Ratcliffe - who is a resident of Monaco - also signalled Prime Minister Keir Starmer might not be the right person for the job, saying: "I don't know whether it's just the apparatus that hasn't allowed Keir to do it or he's maybe too nice. I mean, Keir is a nice man.
"I like him, but it's a tough job and I think you have to do some difficult things with the UK to get it back on track, because at the moment I don't think the economy is in a good state."
Ratcliffe said he had met recently with Nigel Farage, the leader of right-wing party Reform UK, saying: "I think Nigel is an intelligent man and I think he's got good intentions.
"But in a way, you could say exactly the same about Keir Starmer. I think it needs somebody who's prepared to be unpopular for a period of time to get the big issues sorted out."
Referring to his role at United, Ratcliffe added: "I've seen quite a bit of this at the football club. If you do difficult things, which we felt that we had to do at Manchester United... we felt like they were the right things to do. But you do become very unpopular for a while."
Ratcliffe continued: "I've been very unpopular at Manchester United because we've made lots of changes. But for the better, in my view. I think we're beginning to see some evidence in the football club that that's beginning to pay off.
"But you've got all the same issues with the country. If you really want to deal with the major issues of immigration, with people opting to take benefits rather than working for a living, if you want to deal with that, then you're going to have to do some things which are unpopular and show some courage."
Ratcliffe was talking on the fringes of the European Industry Summit in Antwerp, at which leaders from many of Europe's biggest economies, including France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz, are meeting with industrialists to discuss the fate of its economy.
The summit comes amid a spate of closures across the European chemicals sector, closures that indicate, in the INEOS founder's view, that the European chemicals sector is facing "unsurvivable conditions".
Starmer: Ratcliffe comments are offensive and wrong
Downing Street says Ratcliffe was "absolutely right" to apologise for his language over immigration.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called on Ratcliffe to say sorry for comments he described as "offensive and wrong" on Wednesday evening.
Following Ratcliffe's apology, the Prime Minister's official spokesperson said: "The PM asked for an apology and one has been issued. Absolutely right.
"There should be debate on immigration, but Britain was built for all and the comments were divisive."
Kick It Out criticised the Manchester United owner's comments, telling Sky Sports News: "[They] are disgraceful and deeply divisive at a time when football does so much to bring communities together.
"In addition to the inaccurate figures mentioned, it's worth reminding him that Manchester United has a diverse fanbase and plays in a city whose cultural history has been enriched by immigrants.
"This type of language and leadership has no place in English football and we believe most fans will feel the same."
The Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club are also unhappy with Ratcliffe's interview, saying they are "deeply concerned" and warning his words could have "real-world consequences".
