Jim Ratcliffe’s ‘colonised’ remark is not just offensive, it’s bad for British business
‘Incredibly offensive and strategically reckless’: the language of "colonisation" puts UK innovation at risk
The recent comments by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, claiming that the UK has been "colonised by immigrants," represent more than just a "poor choice of language".
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The robust response by Prime Minister Kier Starmer rejecting these words shows how critical these words are for the UK, including business. Sir Jim is the chairman and chief executive officer of the INEOS, as well as co-owner of Manchester United football club.
In our heightened polarised times these kinds of words used here act as a dangerous incendiary in an already fragile social landscape. While Sir Jim has since apologised with a, "sorry if anyone is offended" apology, the word colonised cannot be dismissed as a mere slip of the tongue.
It’s a loaded, historical term that flips the reality of British history on its head and frames migration not as a demographic shift, but as a hostile invasion.
This rhetoric is incredibly offensive and strategically reckless. Ironically, Sir Jim is co-owner of Manchester United. Nowhere is diversity more evident than in football.
The Premier League is a global powerhouse precisely because it is a melting pot of global talent. It attracts the best players, managers, and fans from every corner of the earth.
To suggest that the UK is suffering from "colonisation" while presiding over a club like Manchester United is a profound contradiction. The league's success is built on the very integration and movement of people that such language seeks to demonise.
Language that evokes conquest and erasure does not invite debate on economic policy; it invites division - to be frank. To now hear the voices of people feeling dehumanised by this language because they or their parents have made the UK their home is disheartening.
The "deficit model" of diversity, where differences are seen as problems to be managed, is fundamentally wrong. Instead, our Equity Effect research at Henley Business School highlights that equity is a significant driver of value. Businesses which actively confront inequity and implement practical measures to foster true inclusion record an average revenue 58% higher than those that do not. We didn’t set out to prove that diversity is an asset - not a cost, but the data was so clear that equity and diversity pay dividends.
Our businesses operate in a global marketplace and we cannot afford to alienate vast swathes of their talent pool or customer base with exclusionary rhetoric like Sir Jim’s.
When leaders use language that signals hostility toward "outsiders," they damage their brand and stifle psychological safety. Innovation is at risk.
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Dr. Naeema Pasha is the founder of Henley Business School’s World of Work Institute, who led research into racial equity in businesses.
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