Rishi Sunak takes a stand in the trans debate during the interview with Piers Morgan

Rishi Sunak joined the trans rights debate tonight by claiming that human biology “really matters” when it comes to sports and prison policies.

While the government should have “tremendous compassion” for those seeking to change gender, Rishi Sunak said biological sex should be given priority.

Speaking to Piers Morgan on TalkTV, Mr Sunak lashed out at the trans debate, saying that ‘it doesn’t seem fair to most people’.

Referring to the case of trans rapist Isla Bryson, who was initially held in a women’s prison in Scotland, Sunak suggested that the state should “acknowledge the challenges” surrounding segregated gender spaces while being sensitive to the trans community.

“I know what a woman is — a grown human woman,” he told TalkTV. “We need to have tremendous compassion and tolerance and understanding for those who question their gender identity and want to change. That’s who we are as a people.’

But he spoke out against trans athletes competing in women’s sports, saying, “That doesn’t seem fair to most people, does it?” So that’s why biological sex matters in these questions… whether it’s sex, whether it’s women’s spaces, whether it’s prisons, biological sex really matters.”

He added that the move to block the Scottish Gender Recognition Act outlined his commitment.

During his interview today, Mr Sunak vowed to tackle the ‘ridiculous’ migrant situation on the Channel as he took on Piers Morgan.

The sit-down chat came as the prime minister marked his first 100 days in office, with Mr Sunak saying his blueprint for overhauling the system would ensure asylum applications are dealt with within ‘days or weeks’.

He said efforts to “break the cycle” include a new deal with Albania – said to be the origin of 30 percent of illegal migrants – and closer cooperation with France.

And he insisted that the government’s plan to send new arrivals to Rwanda for processing will certainly go ahead.

Asked if deportation flights to the African nation will ‘ever happen’, Mr Sunak replied: ‘Yes’.

“We’re working our way through the courts with that and obviously there’s going to be people trying to thwart this, but that’s a system that I think the vast majority of people watching will say, that sounds reasonable. he added.

Ministers have made stopping the flow of small boats crossing the Channel a top priority, with Tory MPs warning that failure to gain traction will be disastrous at the next election.

Speaking from his home in Downing Street, Mr Sunak said: ‘The system we need, the system I want to put in place, is one where if you come here illegally you have to be detained quickly and then within a few days or weeks. we will hear your claim, not months and years, and then we will safely take you elsewhere. And when we do, we break the circle.’

Pressed by Morgan about how he was going to make that happen, Mr. Sunak said, “So, look, what did we do in the first 100 days, what did I do?”

“I have a new agreement with France, which will increase the number of patrols on French beaches, which is already making a difference.

“Secondly, I have a brand new contract with Albania. Albania accounted for 30 percent of all illegal migrants.’

When Morgan commented that the figure was “ridiculous,” Mr. Sunak said, “Of course that’s ridiculous.

“But I will work with the Albanians to get a new agreement, which means that people who come from Albania illegally, we can safely send them back to Albania and that is already happening.

“We are putting illegal migrants from Albania back on flights and that will increase over the course of the year. And that is a tangible improvement of the situation. That deal is a new deal.’

A record 45,728 migrants crossed the Channel last year, up from the 28,381 who did so in 2021.

So far, 1,180 illegal migrants have made the perilous journey across the Channel this year, a fraction short of the 1,341 who arrived in January 2021.

Mr Sunak highlighted new legislation he is proposing to strengthen the system.

“Soon we will introduce new laws in parliament that will bring about the system I’ve explained, the system that says if you come here illegally, you can’t really stay here,” he said.

“So what that new law will say is, if you come here illegally, for an illegal migrant here, then you can’t stay here and in fact we can detain you and then we will hear you. claim within days or weeks, not months or years and we will in the vast majority of cases have the option of sending you to an alternative safe country, wherever you are from, if it is safe, such as Albania, or, indeed, Rwanda.’

During the bombshell interview, the prime minister discussed his first 100 days in office – including strikes, scandals, the NHS, Ukraine and even “the real Rishi”.

Mr Sunak opened up about when he thought his front-line political career was over, revealing that he had been out to dinner with his children at TGI Fridays when he heard that Liz Truss had resigned.

And he also gave viewers a glimpse of the man behind the political facade, giving Piers details about how he proposed to wife Akshata, and his love of Star Wars and Coke.

He was also pressed about former Prime Minister Boris Johnson being ‘maneuvering’, about the principles of ‘Sunakism’ and whether King Charles would invite Prince Harry and Meghan to the coronation.

As the pair sat down for their first head-to-head duel at No. 10, Piers joked that he hoped the Prime Minister wouldn’t “run into the fridge” as his predecessor Boris Johnson had done on live TV in the past.

Mr. Sunak joked, “I can give you that guarantee, but if you get hungry halfway through, maybe we’ll go get some snacks.”

And Mr. Sunak even revealed how he was eating at TGI Fridays when he learned of Liz Truss’ firing after just 44 days at PM.

About his predecessor’s resignation, he confessed: ‘Yeah, actually I didn’t think about politics at all when Liz stepped down. I was having lunch with my kids in North Teeside at TGI Fridays and we were finishing lunch and about to go bowling with them and I had moved on a bit after all that had been going on in the summer happened.

“So my head wasn’t quite in that space, if I’m being completely honest, and she obviously resigned and I had to think about what to do and in the end, I strongly believe in public service and felt dutiful more than anything. otherwise, that I should try to come and make a difference, as it was quite a challenging fight.’

Despite the ruthless leadership race, he confessed that he had not thought about leaving politics – although he assumed his front-line career was over. When asked if he’d thought about trying anything else, he explained, “Not to leave politics. I am deeply committed to my constituents back home in North Yorkshire, in Richmond. So I hadn’t considered leaving politics altogether, but apparently I had assumed that my career in front-line politics was over.’

Mr Sunak also discussed the strike chaos paralyzing Britain that has plagued his premiership.

Asked about nurses’ pay rise demands, the prime minister said ‘waivers’ should be made for them.

But the prime minister no longer promised free parking for nurses outside hospitals, a perk during the pandemic.

He added: “Look it’s not always easy in this job because I’m focused on doing what I think is right for the country and in the long run that often means doing things that might not always be popular and this is a good example of that.

“I would like to give the nurses a huge pay raise. Who not? Would definitely make my life easier, wouldn’t it? Right, of course I’d like to if I could.’