This Is Why Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s apology: did he mean it?
Feb 12, 2026
Ed Conway, Sky News economics and data editor, brings data-driven analysis and reflects on an interview with Sir Jim Ratcliffe. He explains why Ratcliffe’s comments about migration caused uproar. Short segments cover the Antwerp chemicals summit, errors in Ratcliffe’s numbers, migration data and economic impacts, and whether the apology addressed the language or the views behind it.
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One Word Shifted The Story
- Jim Ratcliffe used the word "colonised" about immigration and repeated it when challenged.
- That single phrase turned a technical interview about chemicals into a national controversy.
Interview Sidetracked In Antwerp
- Ed Conway expected an interview about the chemicals industry and its crisis but was blindsided late in the conversation.
- INEOS staff tried to cut the interview short as Ratcliffe began using inflammatory language.
Data Undercut The Colonisation Claim
- Ratcliffe's population and benefits numbers were demonstrably wrong and undermined his colonisation claim.
- Ed Conway argues data show migration patterns (including later emigration) don't support a 'colonisation' narrative.