Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been dragged into a fresh controversy after Reform UK featured his incendiary 'colonised by immigrants' comments in a promotional video, despite the billionaire insisting he had no knowledge of its existence.
Nigel Farage posted the video on a Saturday, with the clip headlined by Ratcliffe's statement that Britain had been 'colonised by immigrants'. The Manchester United co-owner and INEOS chairman immediately became the target of fury from supporters and campaigners, with the Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club issuing a vote of no confidence in the 73-year-old and declaring that it was time for him to go.
INEOS confirmed to The Athletic that Ratcliffe had no knowledge of the video and did not give permission for his words to be used. However, the company did not confirm whether it had asked Reform UK to take the video down.
Reform UK responded that because the clip came from an interview Ratcliffe gave to Sky News that was publicly broadcast, it did not need permission from INEOS to use the footage. The party added that, as far as it was aware, neither INEOS nor Ratcliffe had complained, and that it had no plans to remove or alter the video.
The episode has revived the storm around the original comments, which Ratcliffe made earlier this year. At the time, Sir Keir Starmer called the remarks 'offensive and wrong', Manchester United issued a statement describing itself as an 'inclusive and welcoming club', and the Football Association said it would examine whether the comments had brought the game into disrepute. Ratcliffe said he was sorry his choice of language had offended people, while defending the importance of raising the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration.
Ratcliffe, the seventh-richest man in Britain with an estimated net worth of £17 billion, moved to tax-free Monaco in 2020. His company INEOS accepted a support package from the British government worth more than £120 million in December 2025 to prevent the closure of its Grangemouth chemical plant in Scotland.
Critics note that while Ratcliffe insists he did not grant permission for his inclusion in the video, no efforts appear to have been made to have him removed from it. Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp also features in the clip. The row has deepened the tensions between Manchester United's ownership and sections of the fanbase, and shows no sign of abating.
The controversy adds to a difficult period for Ratcliffe's relationship with United supporters. The Muslim Supporters Club's vote of no confidence came earlier this year after his original remarks, and fan groups have repeatedly questioned the direction of the club under his co-ownership. INEOS declined to say whether it had asked Reform UK to remove the video. The party has shown no sign of backing down, insisting the footage came from a publicly broadcast Sky News interview. With no complaints formally lodged, the clip remains online, leaving the billionaire's relationship with a section of the fanbase more strained than ever.