One sure way of making the next election even harder for Rishi Sunak would be a lurch to the right

Editorial: The right way for the Conservatives to fight their uphill battle is to occupy the centre ground and to challenge Labour to set out its policies

The PM should resist pressure from his colleagues to take the fight to Labour on wider issues (PA)

It would be a mistake for Rishi Sunak to think that two by-election defeats require him to turn to the right. Government sources have told The Independent that the prime minister intends to engage in “crunchier” political arguments about immigration, where the Conservatives believe that Labour is weak.

While it is certainly true that Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, need to say more about their policies on migration, Mr Sunak should be careful not to allow himself to be seen as monomaniac on the subject.

The prime minister should acknowledge people’s legitimate concerns about the small boats, and he should continue to improve the processing of asylum applications and the removal of failing asylum-seekers, but a punitive approach will narrow the appeal of the Conservative Party rather than broaden it. That Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, ordered a cartoon mural at a child migrants reception centre to be painted over sent a terrible signal about this country’s humanity and compassion.