No 'quick fix' for Tories, says Kemi Badenoch

In the interview, Badenoch acknowledged again that her party had "let people down" in the area of migration.

She said the numbers were too high, having previously pledged to put a cap on arrivals into the UK – though she has not specified what level she would consider acceptable.

Net migration hit a record in the year to June 2023 - with the difference between those arriving in the UK and leaving standing at 906,000 according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The net figure dropped to 728,000 in the year to June 2024.

The previous Conservative government's key migration policy was the Rwanda deportation scheme designed specifically to deter small boat crossings.

No flights were able to take off to the east African country before July's election after numerous legal challenges, and Labour swiftly scrapped the scheme after winning power.

The new government has focused on tackling the criminal gangs involved in people smuggling, with Sir Keir announcing an extra £75m to go to policing UK borders in November.

At a press conference last month, Badenoch said the Conservatives still believed a "deterrent" was necessary but did not commit to a revival of the Rwanda scheme.

In the Today interview, Badenoch also acknowledged the local elections scheduled for May next year would be difficult for her party, but said it was a marathon not a sprint.

She said: "The Conservative Party is under changed leadership and I think that the voters will start to see that, but it's going to be slow and steady. It's the tortoise strategy, not the hare."

A Labour spokesperson said: "Every time Kemi Badenoch speaks it becomes clearer that she has no solutions to the problems the Tories created.

"Under her leadership, the Conservatives have made unfunded spending commitments worth billions without explaining how she would pay for any of them."