'Why is right-wing Tory leadership candidate Priti Patel defending record legal migration to the UK?' asks Christopher Hope
Priti Patel has waded in on the Rwanda scheme
GB News
Christopher Hope delivered his analysis of his interview with Priti Patel
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The Conservative leadership campaign has just got interesting.
When I asked Dame Priti Patel about record net migration during her party's time in office today, I did not expect her to mount a defence of the hundreds of thousands who arrived in the UK.
But that is what the former Home Secretary chose to do on today's Chopper's Political Podcast, telling me it was "too lazy" to criticise high numbers arriving without adding context.
Patel pointed out that the recent numbers surged after the borders were closed for months during the pandemic, asking whether GB News viewers and listeners would rather we had fewer doctors and nurses.
Patel's point is that large net migration figures were the symptom of failures in the labour market, which had to be remedied. Other factors such as the arrival of Ukrainians and British nationals from Hong Kong were relevant too.
Patel would not even say she wanted net migration to be under 100,000 a year if she wins the leadership when I interviewed her on my podcast.
It was all in contrast to my other podcast interview this week with her leadership rival Mel Stride, who is said he wanted net migration to run at tens of thousands a year, as David Cameron had first promised in 2010.
That came after another rival Tom Tugendhat opened the door to leaving the European Convention of Human Rights, something which Patel would not say in her interview with me.
What's going on? It seems to me that the two centrist candidates Tugendhat and Stride are keen to demonstrate their right wing credentials to Tory MPs and members.
And in the same way Patel - the most right wing of the six candidates to succeed Rishi Sunak - is keen to show her softer side, with comments on immigration which will be well received by moderate Tory MPs and members.
We have months of this to run with Bob Blackman, the 1922 committee chairman and the contest's returning officer, telling me today the date of the announcement of a new Tory leader is not going to be brought forward from Nov 2.
It's going to be fascinating, watching the candidates tack this way and that as they try to appeal to MPs and members. Make sure you follow it all on GB News.
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