Immigration near top of list of issues concerning the Conservative Party members who will pick the next PM

Politics Explained: The UK provides sanctuary to only 1 per cent of the world’s refugees

With the choice of the next prime minister resting with the 160,000 members of the Conservative Party, the decision by contenders Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss to slug it out over who can be toughest on immigration comes as no surprise.

Surveys consistently show that the issue is of far greater salience to Tory voters and members than to the electorate at large.

A Redfield and Wilton poll this week found that 35 per cent of Conservatives ranked it in the top three issues determining their vote, against 15 per cent of Labour supporters and 24 per cent of the public at large. For Tories, immigration was an even bigger concern than taxes, which have been at the forefront of the leadership debate so far.