Speaking to the , the prime minister was also pressed on other trade-offs he listed in his speech including the argument that the public had to accept pylons if they wanted cheaper electricity.
He said people with concerns should be listened to but added: “We want cheaper electricity, we need cheaper power, we can’t pretend that can be done without the need for pylons above the ground.
“Politics is about being honest with people, saying: ‘If you want xyz then we are going to have to do the following things’.”
On illegal migration, Sir Keir said there was a backlog of tens of thousands of asylum seekers waiting to have their claim processed, while the government was paying for their accommodation.
He accused the previous Conservative government of “pretending there’s some magical way to wish away that number”.
He said his government would process the backlog and return those who had no right to be in the UK.
“But I was being clear, if you have that process, there will be people who are processed, who then are able to claim asylum.”
Around 97,000 people claimed asylum in the year to the end of June 2024, with the largest number coming from Afghanistan. Other nationalities applying in large numbers include those from Iran, Pakistan, Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh.
In the same year, 7,190 people who were not granted asylum were returned to their home country.
One of the prime minister’s first decisions was to scrap the Conservative government’s Rwanda scheme, which aimed to deter people trying to get to the UK illegally by crossing the Channel in small boats.
The prime minister dismissed the policy as an expensive gimmick and have instead said they want to tackle the smuggling gangs that arrange the crossings.
