British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe said on Thursday he was sorry he had offended some people by saying the country had been "colonised by immigrants", after Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined a chorus of criticism over the remarks.

Ratcliffe, one of Britain's most successful businessmen, responded ⁠to the outcry with a statement saying it was important to raise the issue of immigration, but that he regretted his "choice of language" had caused concern.

The founder of chemicals giant INEOS, and owner of nearly a third of Manchester United, had told Sky News that high migration and people living on benefits were damaging the economy.

"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," Ratcliffe said in the interview aired on Wednesday. "The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn't it?" he added.

Starmer said the remarks were wrong and would play into the hands of those who wanted to divide the country. Finance minister Rachel Reeves said the comments were "unacceptable" and "disgusting".

On Thursday, INEOS issued a statement from Ratcliffe in ⁠response to "reporting of his comments".

"I am sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the UK and ⁠Europe and caused concern but it is ⁠important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth," he said.

He said he wanted to stress that governments must manage migration alongside investment in skills, industry and jobs to ensure long-term prosperity is shared by everyone, and that it was "critical ⁠that we maintain an open debate on the challenges facing the UK".

Starmer's spokesperson said it was right for him to apologise. Asked if an apology about offence caused rather than the comments themselves were enough, the spokesperson said questions on the detail of the apology were for Ratcliffe.

His comments were condemned by politicians, campaigners and by fan groups at Manchester United, including its Muslim Supporters Club who said the term "colonised" was frequently used by far-right ⁠activists to frame migrants as invaders.

Others noted that the Manchester United first team was largely made up of international players and staff, and questioned whether Ratcliffe should be commenting on British politics when he had moved to the tax haven Monaco.

Manchester United said it prided itself on being an inclusive and welcoming club. "Our diverse group of players, staff and global community of supporters, reflect the history and heritage of Manchester; a city that anyone can call home," the club said in a statement. (Reuters)