Ratcliffe made ‘mistake’ with immigration comments, says Swinney

Ineos boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe made a “mistake” with comments about immigration, Scotland’s First Minister has said.

Sir Jim told Sky News on Wednesday that the UK had been “colonised” by immigrants, as well as wrongly stating the population had risen by 12 million people since 2020.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had called on the Manchester United owner to apologise, while Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham described the comments as “inaccurate, insulting and inflammatory”.

In a statement on Thursday, the billionaire apologised for his comments.

Speaking to the Press Association before Sir Jim’s apology, John Swinney criticised the remarks.

“I disagree fundamentally with Jim Ratcliffe about these comments – I think the United Kingdom and Scotland have benefitted from migration,” he said.

“People have come to live here, to contribute to our economy, and they are welcome.

“Scotland faces particular challenges about the size of our working-age population, so we need to attract a larger working-age population.

“Morally and philosophically, I disagree with Jim Ratcliffe, and economically I disagree with him, because migration helps to boost our economy, and that’s a good thing for our country.”

Asked if the billionaire should be listened to given his success with energy giant Ineos, the First Minister said: “Obviously I listen to him, but I disagree with him – I don’t have to agree with everything I listen to.

“I think what Jim Ratcliffe is doing is making a mistake about the economic opportunities and necessities that we face in Scotland today.

“We’ve got very low unemployment and we’ve got a shortage of working-age population.

“That says to me we’ve got to be open to migration to boost and grow our economy and the UK Government is completely hostile to that and is standing in the way of economic growth and opportunity in Scotland as a consequence.”

In the interview with Sky News, Sir Jim – who founded chemical giant Ineos in 1998 – said: “You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in.

“I mean, the UK is being colonised. It’s costing too much money. The UK has been colonised by immigrants.”

Sir Jim bought a minority share in Manchester United in late 2023 and his Ineos group has since taken control of football operations.

The billionaire has presided over a variety of contentious changes since becoming part of the ownership, with ticket pricing and availability causing particular anger among United fans.

Sir Jim’s Ineos was a joint partner with PetroChina in the Grangemouth oil refinery which closed its doors last year despite protests from both the UK and Scottish governments and trade unions.

In a statement on Thursday, he 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.”