Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has distanced himself from a promotional video posted by Reform UK after the party used comments he previously made about immigration without his permission, The Athletic reports.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage shared the video on social media.
The opening clip features Ratcliffe saying that the United Kingdom has been “colonised by immigrants”, a comment he made during an interview with Sky News in February.
Ratcliffe was not aware that the footage would be used in the political video and did not give permission for it to be included, according to his petrochemical company INEOS.
However, they did not say whether they asked Reform UK to remove the video. Meanwhile, Reform has defended its decision to use the footage.
The party said the clip came from a publicly broadcast Sky News interview and argued that it therefore did not require permission from Ratcliffe or INEOS.
It also said it was not aware of any complaint from either Ratcliffe or the company and had no plans to change or remove the video.
Ratcliffe was heavily criticised for the comment earlier this year. Former UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the remarks, while the Football Association (FA) also examined the comments.
United responded at the time by stressing its commitment to equality and diversity.
Head coach Michael Carrick said the club was proud of its values, while United stated that it “prides itself on being an inclusive and welcoming club”.
Ratcliffe later apologised for the “choice of language” that had offended some people.
However, the billionaire returned to the subject of immigration during a BBC interview on September 19, saying that the UK was “on the slide” while again criticising immigration levels.
He was once again criticised by the Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club, which called for Ratcliffe to leave the club.
The group said it hoped his previous apology showed that he had learned from the controversy.
