One of Britain's richest people, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, says he has lost confidence in the UK, describing the country as "on the slide".

The founder of petrochemical giant Ineos, who also owns a large stake in Manchester United, said the UK was in decline due to a combination of high taxes and high immigration.

He told the BBC failing to invest further in North Sea oil and gas amounted to "insanity" and warned gas storage was so low that the UK could "run out of gas" if there was a cold snap this winter.

In response to the billionaire's criticism, the government said it was working to deliver growth and that business investment had increased in the last two years.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm0463619r1no

Sir Jim Ratcliffe reckons Britain’s “on the slide”. Blimey. There’s a bit of glass-house chucking going on here, innit?

This is the same bloke who sold Brexit as a great British opportunity, cheered us out of the EU, and then moved his own tax residence to Monaco. His great British 4x4? Built in France, with a German BMW engine. His great Manchester United revolution? Sack hundreds of staff, slash the perks, churn the management and watch the club continue sliding towards footballing irrelevance. And as for the Ineos cycling empire, that’s hardly been a spotless advert for corporate wisdom either.

Then there’s the small matter of the Ineos buyout itself: a fortune made in petrochemicals, a business empire built partly through acquiring assets others had written off, and now the great industrial sage arrives to tell the rest of us how Britain ought to be run.

Perhaps, before lecturing the country about decline, Sir Jim could have a butcher’s at his own scorecard. Brexit was supposed to make Britain great again, his British car is French, his football club is struggling, his cycling outfit has had its controversies—and somehow Britain is the one that’s “on the slide”.

Pull the other one, Jim. It’s got bells on.