Sir Jim Ratcliffe has faced a torrent of criticism for comments about immigrants that the Man Utd co-owner made on Wednesday.

Manchester United insist they pride themselves on “being an inclusive and welcoming club” in the wake of controversial comments made by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Wednesday. Ratcliffe said the United Kingdom was being “colonised” by immigrants during an interview with Sky News, citing inaccurate population figures to back up his point.

The 73-year-old apologised if any offence had been caused on Thursday but stood by his decision to raise the topic of immigration. The comments have caused a fierce backlash against Ratcliffe, with the Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club branding his comments “appalling” and accusing him of creating division and putting the club’s minority supporters at risk of hate crimes.

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United have now taken the unusual step of releasing an official statement in which they talk about their own commitment to equality and diversity, in what looks like a clear attempt to put some distance between the comments of Ratcliffe, who owns 27.7% of the club, and the club itself.

“Manchester United prides itself on being an inclusive and welcoming club,” the statement reads. “Our diverse group of players, staff and global community of supporters, reflect the history and heritage of Manchester; a city that anyone can call home.

“Since launching All Red All Equal in 2016, we have embedded equality, diversity and inclusion into everything we do.

“We remain deeply committed to the principles and spirit of that campaign. They are reflected in our policies but also in our culture and are reinforced by our holding of the Premier League’s Advanced Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Standard.

“Over the course of this season, we have participated in events and initiatives at our men’s and women’s games marking mental health, LGBTQ+ inclusion, No Room for Racism, violence against women and girls and homophobic chanting.

“We have also celebrated our supporters’ clubs’ events, including our Disabled Supporters’ Assocation’s Christmas Party and our Jewish Supporters’ Club’s Chanukah event.

“In the weeks and months ahead, we will be supporting further initiatives in these areas.

“This all sits alongside the incredible work which the Manchester United Foundation undertakes in and around Manchester on a daily basis.“Manchester United reflects the unity and resilience of all the communities we are so privileged to represent. “We will continue to represent our people, our city and our fans with purpose and pride.”

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Discussing immigration during the Sky News interview, Ratcliffe said: “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.

“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.”

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) estimates that the population of the UK was 67 million in mid-2020 and 70 million in mid-2024. The UK population was estimated at 58.9 million in 2000.