FORMER MP Miriam Cates has said that immigration is a key issue of concern to voters and Robert Jenrick is the Conservative leadership candidate best placed to tackle that.
She told GB News: “I think [immigration] is certainly one of the main topics and the reason for that is it was the issue that came up most on the doorstep as the source of people's betrayal of trust.
“On the economy, on the NHS, yes, people had concerns, but they recognised that events like Covid had had a severe impact on the economy in the NHS, and actually, no government could have smoothed that over completely.
“But I think when it comes to immigration, people did just see it as a direct betrayal of trust. They voted for lower immigration, and they got much higher immigration, and whether that was a mistake on the part of the government, it doesn't really matter. It was a betrayal of trust. So I do think that in terms of winning back people's trust, it is the number one issue.
“Now obviously in opposition, there's nothing that the Conservatives can actually do about it. We can develop policy. We can commit to doing things like leaving the ECHR. But of course, it's not possible for any of the opposition to prove themselves in the way that you can in government, so it's a difficult task.
“But I do think of all the candidates, and they all have strengths, I do think Robert Jenrick has the most understanding, having been in the Home Office, of what's gone wrong and what technically needs to be done to fix it. I do think he has a lot of very relevant things to say on that issue.
“I think [Kemi Badenoch] is absolutely brilliant. She certainly knows how to conduct herself in an argument, we've seen her select committees and things like that, not allowing people to get away with saying things that aren't true, or making allegations.
“That fighting spirit, that feistiness certainly would be brilliant in taking the fight to Labour.
“Too often, I think these days, people who don't like being criticised or who don't like someone calling them out for behaviour decide that that’s bullying, when actually it's just the normal everyday thing of life you just have to get on with.
“She is the favourite so that does mean people are going to try and take you out and that does seem to be happening. But I think from what I’ve seen she’s conducted herself very professionally. Yes, she’s feisty but she never crosses a line.”
