Man Utd co-owner Jim Ratcliffe did not give permission for comments to be used in Reform UK video

Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe did not give permission for his words to be used in a promotional video posted by British political party Reform UK. The video was uploaded to social media by Reform leader Nigel Farage on Saturday (September 26), in which the first clip is of Ratcliffe’s claim that “the UK has been colonised by immigrants”, which he said in an interview with Sky News in February. Advertisement Reform is a right-wing party that focuses heavily on immigration.

Their leader, the 62-year-old Farage, is a long-term ally of United States President Donald Trump. INEOS, the petrochemical firm which Ratcliffe controls, confirmed to The Athletic that the British billionaire, 73, had no knowledge of the video and did not give permission for his words to be used in it. The company did not confirm whether they had asked Reform to take down the video. When contacted by The Athletic, Reform said that, as the clip in question was taken from an interview Ratcliffe did with Sky News, which was publicly broadcast, they did not need permission from INEOS to use the footage.

The party also said that as far as they are aware, neither INEOS nor Ratcliffe has complained, and it has no plans to remove or alter the video. The Athletic has approached Sky for comment. Ratcliffe’s “colonised by immigrants” comments in February were widely criticised. The remarks were condemned by Sir Keir Starmer, then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and were looked into by the English Football Association. Following the interview, United head coach Michael Carrick said that the club is proud of its equality and diversity, while a statement on the club’s website also said that “Manchester United prides itself on being an inclusive and welcoming club”.

Ratcliffe said that he was “sorry” that his “choice of language has offended some people”. During an interview with the BBC on September 19, Ratcliffe again criticised immigration levels and said the U.K. was “on the slide”. In response to those comments, the Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club said the co-owner “must go”. “He (Ratcliffe) subsequently apologised for his choice of language (in February),” the group said. “We hoped a lesson had been learned.

Clearly, it has not. We find these latest comments deeply disappointing and completely unacceptable.” Farage’s most recent video, which also features a clip of former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp, is not the only time Reform has used football, or figures linked to the sport, in promotional content. In March, Farage’s visit to Ipswich Town’s Portman Road sparked significant backlash, leading to the club’s chairman apologising “unreservedly” for the “hurt, pain and frustration” caused by the politician’s visit.

That same month, Farage claimed that he had been invited by Sunderland to visit the Stadium of Light.