'Conservative leadership hopefuls should be doing the day job Britain expects - not having their own ECHR debate'

The public was angry with the Conservatives for failing to stop the small boats as promised. They were also angry about the huge increase in legal migration as well when the Conservative Manifesto promised to cut it, not treble it.

Conservatives slumped to 24 per cent of the vote partly owing to this. The public at the election were suspicious of Labour so their vote fell to just 34 per cent.

Part of the suspicion was over whether Labour would even want to get migration down and whether they did have a more effective way of stopping illegal entry.

The worry is now Labour will simply rush through consideration of asylum cases lodged by illegal arrivals by granting most of them asylum.

That of course speeds it up, avoiding all appeals and court cases from disappointed illegals and their army of lawyers out to thwart the government. It enables the government to cancel the accommodation barge and empty the hotels being used to house illegal arrivals.

The problem is then twofold. A large number of people granted asylum will need permanent housing which Councils and Housing Associations do not have. Where is the government going to suddenly conjure up homes for tens of thousands of people? Where in the budget is the money for all the help and public services they will need? Will rents go up again?

More people will also be encouraged to come to the UK by illegal routes because they see they have a good chance of gaining permanent entry.

The UK will be seen as a softer touch, converting economic migrants into refugees if they turn up illegally and claim, or creating more ways to get in legally. The Home Office adds to the chances of this happening by calling illegals irregulars.

What will it do if its new policy does swell the small boat numbers? It may then seek to deal with more small boat arrivals by creating even more and easier legal routes of entry for people who may well be mainly economic migrants coming from safe countries.

In the past, Labour welcomed more migrants so why not do it again to claim you have stopped the illegals?

The Home Secretary is trying to recruit a Border Security Commander in addition to the Border Force Commander the previous government employed.

Is this really going to make a difference? Who is this superman or woman who can stop the boats where others failed?

Meanwhile, instead of concentrating on what the government is doing and explaining the dangers of their approach, the Conservative leadership candidates are having their own debate about the European Human Rights Treaty.

They are keeping an eye on Reform who want a referendum on pulling out of this Agreement. Some Conservatives think the UK should pull out to stop lawyers from winning cases under that umbrella for illegal migrants.

Some think that UK law can make a limited change to the operation of human rights, making clear in UK Statute that people who come illegally shall be removed from the country notwithstanding European law. Some One Nation Conservatives want to keep the Treaty as it is.

This was an important argument while in government when the Prime Minister backed the Rwanda scheme where the Human Rights Treaty threatened to prevent it from functioning.

Now the government has dropped the idea of sending illegals to a safe third country it is no longer a burning issue.

The Labour government is not going to offer a referendum so Reform's question is one for a General election in four to five years' time.

The Conservatives have to get used to the idea that the job of Opposition is to oppose the government where it gets things wrong, lets us down or breaks its word.

MORE FROM GBN MEMBERSHIP:

• ‘Farage is right to dismiss Tory leadership contenders but Reform needs sort its own wheelhouse fast’
• 'ECHR are not to blame for failed illegal immigration system - the Home Office are' - Jackie Doyle-Price
• Should the UK leave the ECHR? Comment now

The Leadership contenders need to set out what they think Labour are up to.

Will they just grant lots of asylum applications to clear the backlogs? Will they boost legal migration by making it easier? How will the Opposition seek to get the government to meet its promises to crack down on illegal entry?

Will they set out the problems large-scale migration of all kinds is causing with housing shortages, school place and GP appointment pressures, and too little infrastructure?

Will they ask how an extra Commander makes a difference and when will he or she be appointed?

Try doing the day job which Britain expects. There is a serious danger the government will make it easier to get into the UK, swelling numbers more.

No wonder the two main parties lost votes in this last election.