Tom Tugendhat has called for the military to be involved in tackling illegal migration in the way the Royal Navy helped stop slavery.

The Tory leadership candidate insisted it was not “wrong or nasty to be against illegal migration” and tackling human trafficking gangs was the “moral thing to do”.

The former soldier said the UK’s national security “demands the same level of commitment” the Royal Navy showed “in the fight against slavery almost 200 years ago” – which cost the equivalent of around £50 billion a year.

A recording of Mr Tugendhat’s speech, delivered at Kensington, Bayswater, Chelsea and Fulham Conservatives association on August 14, was obtained by The Times.

The newspaper reported that he told Tory members: “Human trafficking is costing thousands of lives and being weaponised by the Kremlin and its proxies. The UK must show the same determination and commitment to fighting this evil trade as we did in fighting slavery.

“We need to see our military engaged in fighting this threat.

“Deaths in the Channel, the Mediterranean and the Sahara show how evil the traffickers are.

“(Vladimir) Putin’s puppets use human beings by smuggling them into Belarus and then pushing them over the border into Nato countries including Poland and Lithuania.

“We need to stand with our allies and defend Europe’s land and sea borders by deploying naval and military forces to protect ourselves and deter this cruel trade.

“We need determined leadership in the fight against those who traffic people and undermine our borders. As security minister, I commissioned work to combat the traffickers as part of a strategic, intelligence-led approach.

“Our national security today demands the same level of commitment the Royal Navy’s West Africa Squadron showed in the fight against slavery almost 200 years ago.

We need to see our military engaged in fighting this threat.

“Deaths in the Channel, the Mediterranean and the Sahara show how evil the traffickers are.

“(Vladimir) Putin’s puppets use human beings by smuggling them into Belarus and then pushing them over the border into Nato countries including Poland and Lithuania.

“We need to stand with our allies and defend Europe’s land and sea borders by deploying naval and military forces to protect ourselves and deter this cruel trade.

“We need determined leadership in the fight against those who traffic people and undermine our borders. As security minister, I commissioned work to combat the traffickers as part of a strategic, intelligence-led approach.

“Our national security today demands the same level of commitment the Royal Navy’s West Africa Squadron showed in the fight against slavery almost 200 years ago.