Next Tory leader? Rise of Katie Lam reflects rightward shift on migration

Shadow Home Office minister who tweets in language of hard-right populism is talked of as future of conservatism

Pictured on her official website smiling on a country walk with her golden retriever, Katie Lam looks every inch the traditional Conservative MP. But make no mistake: this is a very modern breed of Tory, and one whose rise gives a clue to the current direction of UK politics.

Still only 34 and in parliament for little over a year, Lam is named almost ubiquitously by fellow Conservatives as a likely future leader – even, some venture, a direct replacement for Kemi Badenoch.