MANCHESTER United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has claimed the UK is “on the slide” – blaming immigration and high taxes.
The billionaire INEOS founder, 73, also fumed no one was “tough enough” to tackle the “benefits problem”.
Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has claimed the UK is ‘on the slide’ Credit: EPA
Sir Jim, who earlier this year said the UK has been ‘colonised’ by migrants, once again urged the Government to deal with the immigration crisis Credit: Avalon.red
He said Britain was once “a fantastic place”, but blasted politicians for their “reluctance” to tackle the spiralling welfare bill.
Sir Jim, who earlier this year said the UK has been “colonised” by migrants, once again urged the Government to deal with the immigration crisis.
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He told the BBC: “We had the greatest empire in the world. We were a great people. We won two world wars.
“Nobody’s tough enough to deal with the immigration problem. Nobody’s tough enough to deal with the benefits problem.
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“But somebody needs to do it.”
This is not the first time the Man Utd co-owner has spoken out about immigration and welfare policies.
In February, Sir Jim 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 billionaire later apologised for “offending some people” in the wake of his comments.
He also previously slammed the Tories for failing to control immigration after Brexit, which he was a prominent supporter of.
Speaking in Denmark at the EU’s first carbon capture and storage system, he also said the UK’s failure to invest in North Sea drilling was “insane”.
His petrochemical firm INEOS operates the Forties pipeline, which transports just under a third of the oil from the region.
Sir Jim warned that Britain could “run out” of gas, which could prove devastating if there is a “sharp cold snap” this winter.
And he blasted the decision to import energy, calling on Labour to utilise the UK’s natural resources.
He continued: “You would expect [the government] to exploit our natural resources and we’re clearly not doing that. We’re shutting it down.
“If you tax everybody to death, they’re all going to leave. And that’s what’s happening…. Our storage is not full.
“If we have a really sharp cold spell, then there is conceivably the possibility that we’ll run out of gas and have to switch industry off.”
But the Government hit back and said it was “confident” in the energy supply.
A spokesperson said: “We have a diverse energy mix and are confident in our security of supply.
“The transition to homegrown clean power is the only way to deliver energy and financial security for families and businesses.”
Labour have been warned this week the Jackdaw gas field is an “important component” for the UK but urgently needs to be given the green light.
More than 100 projects could be kick-started if ministers change the tax regime and licensing rules, which could unlock £50billion in investment.
Offshore Energies UK boss David Whitehouse said: “The truth is that Jackdaw is an important component of our gas delivery for the winter period 2026-27.
“It can produce up to 6% of the gas we will need.
“We are now at a point in the coming weeks where without regulatory approval we are going to delay the production of that field.
“We’re now at a point where further delays are going to push back bringing that production on line.”
