Rishi Sunak has admitted his "Stop the Boats" slogan, a central theme of his premiership, was "too stark" and "too binary".
While defending the government’s drive to cut migrant Channel crossings, the former prime minister said the message "wasn't quite right" and did not reflect how challenging it would be.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Political Thinking With Nick Robinson podcast, Mr Sunak acknowledged the slogan's bluntnes and suggested he could have framed the issue more effectively by highlighting the challenges involved.
"Our generosity is limitless, and our compassion is limitless, but our resources are not,” he sauid.
Mr Sunak linked the issue to a sense of national fairness, arguing that uncontrolled migration "undermines that sense of fairness on which our society, our way of life, is based on."
During the interview Mr Sunak denied that calling an early general election was a snap decision, saying he wanted a mandate for his policies.
“I thought about it hard, and I had been thinking about it for quite a while, what the right thing to do was,” he said.
“When I reflect back on it, I know the reasons why I did it, I thought hard about it, and what I have not ever heard, really, in a compelling fashion, is what would have dramatically improved three months later.
“I think getting the Rwanda scheme up and running was going to be hard, and I think it would have required a mandate.
“Similarly, tax and spend, we’ve been having these conversations, I wanted to do quite radical things, whether on welfare spending or others, and I think those would have been hard to do without a mandate.”
Professor Neil Chakraborti, director of the University of Leicester’s Centre for Hate Studies, said: “We welcome this belated recognition of the damage caused by the ‘stop the boats’ slogan and by the inflammatory rhetoric which has taken centre stage within our recent politics.
“Our evidence at the Centre for Hate Studies shows that these polarising narratives create and reinforce divisions, fuel tensions and present over-simplistic solutions to complex challenges.
“At a time where misinformation can spread rapidly, we would urge political leaders to use language responsibly and to develop policies based on evidence, and not soundbites.”
He also said he would back his successor Kemi Badenoch if she wanted to leave the European Convention on Human Rights and that he would cut welfare spending to pay for an increase in the defence budget.
“I think, quite frankly, that is the most important thing for the country to do next, so that we can fund defence adequately,” he said.
Having left Downing Street after the election defeat in July 2024, he said he was “excited” about what happens next.
“I’m 44, I’ve got years ahead of me, and I don’t want being prime minister to be the only thing that defines me professionally. I think I’ve got plenty more to contribute.”
