Nigel Farage was repeatedly corrected during a tense Sky News interview as he sought to defend businessman Jim Ratcliffe’s controversial remarks about immigration in the UK.
Ratcliffe, the billionaire co-owner of Manchester United, sparked outrage last week after claiming the UK is being “colonised” by migrants. He said: “You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits, and huge levels of immigrants coming in. The UK is being colonised by immigrants.”
He also stated: “The population of the UK was 58 million in 2020. Now it’s 70 million. That’s 12 million.”
Ratcliffe later issued a limited apology, saying he was “sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the UK an Europe”. However, he maintained that it was “important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth”.
Sky News Interview: Nigel Farage Corrected on Immigration Statistics
Appearing on Sky News, Farage defended Ratcliffe, arguing that the businessman had simply stated a “fact” that 12 million people had come into the country.
Presenter Matt Barbet quickly challenged that claim, saying: “Well, he got the dates wrong didn’t he?”
Farage conceded the timeline error. “He said 2020 but he meant 2000. Since 2000, 12 million people is the population increase in Britain. Over 85% of that is the direct impact of immigration. That’s a fact.
“There are nine million living in Britain on benefits of some kind, although some of them in work benefits.”
Barbet intervened again: “Most of them are in work benefits, actually.”
Farage also argued that Ratcliffe had only withdrawn the specific word “colonised”, not his broader argument.
When pressed on the language, Farage said: “I think it’s probably in the dictionary definition correct – but perhaps people aren’t quite ready for that.”
Barbet responded: “It has historical overtones though doesn’t it? I want to ask you about the language, the rhetoric. People using words like that, people referring to Enoch Powell’s speeches, is that overshadowing having a considered debate on immigration?”
Farage replied: “It’s just one word. Everything he said was right. One word can be used in a different context.”
Census Data, English Language Claims and Monaco Comparison
The Clacton MP went on to reference data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), claiming the census showed that a million people cannot speak any English.
Barbet corrected him once more: “It says they aren’t speaking good English. That doesn’t mean there’s a million who aren’t speaking any English at all.”
Farage insisted: “Five million don’t speak good English. A million don’t speak English at all. Those are the census facts we got a couple of years ago.”
The interview then turned to Ratcliffe’s own circumstances, with Barbet pointing out that the businessman lives in Monaco and could therefore be described as an economic migrant.
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“He’s a tax migrant,” Farage responded.
“He’s an economic migrant then, isn’t he?” Barbet pressed.
Farage rejected the comparison, arguing Ratcliffe was not claiming social security. “He’s spending lots of money in Monaco employing people and spending money on the high street,” he said.
Barbet issued a fifth correction, noting: “Actually, Nigel Farage, he’s cut hundreds of jobs here in the UK, in Grangemouth. He wanted to build Ineos Grenadier car in Wales, you know where it’s built now? It’s built in France.”
Farage concluded by blaming what he described as “moronic energy policy” introduced by Labour and the Conservatives.
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