Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s apology: did he mean it?
This Is Why
Sky News
4.0 • 552 Ratings
🗓️ 12 February 2026
⏱️ 20 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has apologised for his “choice of language” in an interview with Sky News’ economics and data editor, Ed Conway.
The billionaire, who part-owns Manchester United, but lives in Monaco, said the UK is being ‘colonised’ by immigrants.
His comments have been criticised by the prime minister and many Man Utd fans.
Niall discusses with Ed Conway why an interview, which was supposed to be about chemicals, has caused such a fuss, and whether the apology was truly heartfelt.
Producers: Paul Wilkinson and Tom Gillespie
Editor: Piers Wisbey
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Sky News, the full story first. |
| 0:09.5 | One of Britain's richest men has apologised for his language |
| 0:12.7 | after claiming the UK is being colonised by immigrants. |
| 0:16.9 | But is Sir Jim Rackcliffe really sorry? |
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| 1:22.8 | When one of Britain's richest men does an interview, there will always be people who listen. |
| 1:27.7 | After all, billionaire Sir Jim Rackcliffe runs the chemicals giant Ineos and co-owns Manchester United. |
| 1:33.6 | Still, dry remarks about productivity or the state of British industry don't always get much |
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| 1:42.0 | But when Sir Jim sat down with Ed Conway, he blurted out this. |
... |
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