Watch the moment Richard Tice and GB News’s Political Editor Christopher Hope began squabbling over Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s recent comments on migration.
Last night, Sir Keir Starmer condemned the claim Britain was “colonised by immigrants”, branding it as “offensive and wrong”. He further called on the Manchester United co-owner to apologise.
Sir Jim has since apologised for the comments, saying: “I am sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe.”
But earlier today, Mr Tice’s boss Nigel Farage backed the co-owner of Manchester United’s claim, despite the comment igniting intense backlash.
On GB News, the Reform MP said: “He said two key things. He said that the population had grown from 58 million to 70 million. He’s bang on the money.
“He also said that we couldn’t afford large scale, uncontrolled immigration, if people are not working, when you’ve got nine million people – give or take – out of work on benefits. On those two things, he’s absolutely right.”
Immediately, Christopher interjected: “He wasn’t. It was wrong, wasn’t it?”
“No, that’s completely wrong,” Mr Tice stated, but Christopher maintained the timescale Sir Jim set out was wrong.
While making the statement, Sir Jim said the population of the UK was 58 million in 2020, now it is 70 million, jumping up 12 million people during that period.
The spat soon spiralled out of control after Richard Tice complained Christopher Hope was ‘nitpicking’ at the facts
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However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has estimated the UK population was 67 million in mid-2020 and 70 million in mid-2024.
The population was estimated to sit at 58.9 million in 2000.
Nevertheless, the Boston & Skegness MP maintained “everyone knew what he was trying to say”.
He continued: “In the last 20 or so years, the population has increased from 58 to 70 million people, the vast majority of which is external immigration into the country with no democratic mandate from the British people.
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Christopher Hope was left incredulous from the interaction
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GB NEWS
“And we can’t afford millions and millions of people on out of work benefits. We need to get people back into work. Now, some people have been offended by the use of the word ‘colonise’.
“Frankly, the people who should be apologising is the Westminster elite that whenever someone uses a slightly dirty word, they try and smear them and label them and shut down debate. And that’s what this Prime Minister utterly, disgracefully did.
“The same Prime Minister, by the way, said that we risked becoming an island of strangers.”
But Christopher argued Prime Minister, after the fact, admitted he regretted calling Britain an island of strangers, which caused subsequent uproar.
“He said if he held that speech up to the light, he wouldn’t have said it,” Christopher added.
“You know jolly well that Jim Ratcliffe says in 2020, 12 million more people have come here since 2000.”
But immediately Mr Tice fumed: “That is pathetic. That is the Westminster literati!”
“It’s the truth,” an incredulous Christopher said.
“Chris! People in the pub talk about the fact that the population has dramatically increased. It is, you know, people do misspeak on the media when they’re not used to speaking much in the media.
“And of course, he meant in the year 2000 when that’s what the population. And for you to nitpick around that…””
“It’s the facts! It’s not nitpicking,” the GB News presenter hit back in astonishment when Mr Tice said he was being “juvenile”.
“It’s not juvenile! You’re being ridiculous. You’re not accepting what you said. The facts are wrong. He needs to correct the record,” Christopher declared.
Still, Mr Tice was dissatisfied with their row, urging Christopher to “get out of the Westminster bubble and go and talk to real people”.
He said: “Occasionally, real people will use the word colonise because in a sense, they’re just telling it as they see it.”
