Immigration: the joys of enrichment

By Richard North - February 14, 2026

We’ve had days of high-profile publicity on Jim Ratcliffe’s views on immigration, with much space given to the moronic tendency – including our loathed prime minister, who argues that Ratcliffe was wrong to say what he did.

When it comes to the downsides of immigration, though, the no-border advocates, the media and the politicians seem to fall strangely silent, as they have done with the “grooming” gang scandal, where the BBC has devoted more coverage recently to the Epstein victims than it has the quarter of a million or so English victims which have fallen prey to (largely) Kashmiri rapists, despite the Lowe hearings (which they have studiously ignored).

But the ultimate discontinuity in this current controversy is immigrant-stock Oghenemaro Miles Itoje – born in London to Nigerian parents – declaring that Ratcliffe’s observation on the United Kingdom being colonised by immigrants was “ridiculous”.

Yet, while some – like the Guardian – would seek to deny Ratcliffe’s right to speak his mind, the irony of a rugby-playing second generation Nigerian migrant pronouncing on such matters seems to have passed people by.

Where the irony explodes into absurdity, though, is with a billboard positioned outside the Manchester United football ground which states: “Immigrants have done more for this city than billionaire tax dodgers ever will” (pictured).

Since Ratcliffe has only invested approximately £1.49 billion into Manchester United as of February 2026 – consisting of his initial share purchase and subsequent capital injections for club infrastructure – this quite obviously cannot compete with priceless gifts to Manchester by brothers Salman and Hashem Abedi at 10:31 pm on 22 May 2017.

After all, how can Ratcliffe’s efforts begin to compare with the Abedis’ generosity in devoting their time and energies (to say nothing of material costs) to slaughtering 22 and injuring 1,017 – many of them little girls?

Nor should we forget the devotion to Manchester of Syrian-born Jihad Al-Shamie who gave his life to the noble cause of killing as many Jews as possible at Heaton Park synagogue in the city’s Crumpsall area, only to be cruelly cut down in his attempt by armed police.

And the thing about terrorism instigated by migrants (or their offspring) is that, unlike Ratcliffe, it is a gift that keeps on giving. Only yesterday, we heard news of the work of two dedicated immigrants, Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein, who had planned to target the Jewish community in Manchester in what police said could have been “the UK’s most deadly terror attack”.

Saadaoui is Tunisian-born (date of birth given in some records as 6 June 1987), and moved to the UK in 2012, becoming a UK citizen, while Hussain is described as a Kuwaiti national, originally from Kurdish Iraq, having served three years in Saddam Hussein’s army.

That two such upstanding immigrants should have been prepared to invest so freely of their time in this bid to make Manchester a Jew-free city is quite obviously far superior to anything that Ratcliffe might have achieved, and their ambitions were only curtailed by the intervention of the police.

These stand alongside three more men, jailed in January for the fatal stabbing of Sadiq Al-Lami in Manchester.

These are Sultan Bakr, 23, jailed for life with a 20-year minimum term, Sikander Babar, 25, jailed for life with a 20-year minimum term and Abdul Babar, 19, jailed for life with a 19-year minimum term.

Sadiq Al-Lami, 31, was found with serious injuries around 1.30am on Tuesday 23 January 2024. He died later in hospital of multiple stab wounds, 11 in total.
The three men chased him in a car, before inflicting the fatal injuries and leaving him for dead on the A34, Kingsway. They were found guilty of murder following a trial in July and August 2024.

And nor must we forget the solo efforts of Mohammed Roman Haque, of Bangladesh ancestry, who on 11 February was convicted of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article for the January 2025 stabbing attack on nurse Achamma Cherian (57) at Royal Oldham Hospital, where he was a patient awaiting medication/mental health assessment.

Such heroic efforts to make Greater Manchester a better place – even though of limited impact – clearly outstrip the meagre contribution that Ratcliffe might have made.

Given that Ratcliffe also has business interests through his Ineos group, which have a national and international reach, generating sales of about £50 billion and employing more than 26,000 people, one might also compare this miserable contribution with magnificent gifts brought to the UK by our wider fraternity of immigrants, beyond the bounds of mere Manchester.

Right on my doorstep, for instance, we have six inspired entrepreneurs who were due in Bradford Magistrates’ Court yesterday, charged with offences relating to the supply of cocaine. These were Abu Bakar Chaudrey, 25, Balaval Ali, 26, Samran Ali, 28, Arbaaz Ali, 27, Atif Hussain, 24, Kiran Akhtar, 25, all fine upstanding members of the Muslim community who have been doing their best to spread gainful employment throughout the West Yorkshire region.

One needs to appreciate, though, that not all immigrants are devoted to commercial activities, and some make their contributions in other ways. Brothers, Zulkernain Ahmed, 21, and Armaan Ahmed, 27, have shown their contribution to road safety in Sheffield by mowing down Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Taleb, 16, and killing him, while veering in their Audi S3 to the wrong side of a road to target a group of e-bike and moped riders with whom they were in dispute.

A more entertaining immigrant contribution was recorded when a former Imam was convicted today of numerous non-consensual sexual attacks on women and girls in East London.

This was Abdul Halim Khan, 54, who was found guilty of twenty one counts of rape and sexual assault as well as child sexual offences against seven women and girls at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

Khan had been an imam at an east London mosque and used his position of trust and authority to get to know the seven victims, three of whom were young teenage girls at the time of offending. All seven were members of the local Muslim community and Khan persuaded each of them into meeting him at isolated places including flats and quiet hidden locations to prevent harm falling on them according to him.

Khan would then rape or sexually abuse the victims under the premise that he would be possessed or disguised as a Jinn (supernatural spirit). The victims felt they had to keep these acts hidden and quiet from families and friends for fear of doing them harm via “Black Magic”.

Not in a million years could Jim Ratcliffe hope to complete with such endeavours and nor could he think of emulating the feat of Nigerian-born Anthony Esan who on 23 July 2024 launched a “vicious and deliberate” attack on Lt Col Teeton as the officer walked home from Brompton Barracks in Gillingham, Kent.

Esan, riding a moped, approached Teeton – who had survived four tours, in Iraq and Afghanistan – under the guise of needing to use a phone before stabbing him at least 12 times with two kitchen knives. For his efforts, Esan was sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday, for a minimum of seven years and 162 days – a mere trifle compared with Lucy Connolly’s sentence of 2 years and seven months.

Such is but a small sample of the enrichment brought to these shores by these diverse members of the international community. One can’t imagine, therefore, why people such as Jim Ratcliffe – or anyone else for that matter – should have any problems embracing their contributions and welcoming many more to add to the gaiety of our lives.