Yahoo News Keir Starmer 'will do very good job' as prime minister, says Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said he believes Keir Starmer 'will do a very good job' as prime minister if he is elected.
The billionaire Ineos chief has predicted a Labour election victory, but insisted he is willing to work with whichever party is in power. The businessman said he had 'no questions' as to whether the current Labour leader would do a 'very good job at running at the country'.
He told Sky News: "There's no question that the Conservatives have had a good run over the last 15, 20 years and I think most of the country feels it's probably time for a change, and I sort of get that, really."
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Sir Jim met with Sir Keir at Old Trafford last weekend to discuss the redevelopment of the stadium. Asked whether his company would donate to Labour, he said: "We're apolitical at Ineos, we just want a successful manufacturing sector in the UK. We'll talk to either Government about that."
He blamed the Conservatives' predicted defeat at the next general election on their implementation of Brexit, which he said 'didn't turn out how people anticipated'. Sir Jim was a prominent backer of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union in 2016.
He said the referendum 'was largely about immigration', as 'vast numbers of people' coming into the country had overburdened the NHS and police. The businessman also criticised the Tories over their handling of the economy, saying the country needed to 'get a bit sharper on the business front' and needs 'competitive energy'.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Sir Jim had dropped down to fourth in the Sunday Times Rich List for 2024, down two places from last year. The 71-year-old has seen his net worth fall with the Ineos founder having an estimated net worth of £23.519billion.
He was second on the list in 2023 with an estimated net worth of £29.688bn. It was confirmed on Christmas Eve last year that Ratcliffe and his Ineos group would purchase a stake in Man United.
The deal was made official in February when it was announced that the billionaire's total stake would be 27.7 percent. Ratcliffe's Ineos now run football operations at Old Trafford and have already made several notable changes.
