Justice minister says ‘man who moved to Monaco to save tax is now lecturing us about immigration’
Good morning. As Joe Coughlan and Rob Davies report, last night Downing Street said that said the Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe should apologise for his comments that the UK is being “colonised” by immigrants.
Although Ratcliffe’s claim that the UK population had increased by 12m over the past five years was shockingly and absurdly inaccurate, it was still moderately surprising that Downing Street criticised Ratcliffe so quickly and so explicitly. In the past, when public figures have made anti-immigration comments, the default government response has often been to say that they have a point and that these concerns are understandable. It is to soon to know whether the Ratcliffe rebuttal is evidence of a new approach, but Morgan McSweeney, who was the PM’s chief of staff until Sunday, was one of the figures in Downing Street most nervous about being seen as pro-immigration, and there is speculation that with him out of the building, Starmer might be bolder about articulating his progressive instincts.
What No 10 says it important because, when the PM speaks out, ministers feel confident piling in behind. Jake Richards, the justice minister, has picked up the message. He has been doing a broadcast round this morning and he has escalated that attack on Ratcliffe. He told Times Radio:
