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General Election 2019: Party leaders focus on business and the economy

While it has been an unusual election campaign so far, there has been more conventional party political warfare today when business and the economy were the key focus of the main parties.

Seen traditionally as a Conservative strength, Boris Johnson took a bit of a gamble with the news that he planned to postpone a cut in corporation tax to help release another investment boost for the NHS.

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn
Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn

Whether this was designed to further neutralise Labour, which regards the NHS as an issue on which it is most trusted, is open to question.

The CBI conference hall also heard Boris Johnson pledge to review the business rate - which seems to happen every election - and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn insist his party "was not the enemy of business" - another thing that happens at every election.

One way at looking at the NHS funding boost being promised by the Conservatives is that it shows they are discomfited by Labour's grip on the issue and are trying to loosen it.

The other topic which has been pushed centre stage is immigration, another touchstone issue.

All parties have learned to tread warily around this, particularly when it comes to specific numbers they are either prepared to let in or targets for net immigration - knowing that runs the obvious risk of them being missed.

If the issue has become less inflammatory - especially in Kent - it is because the seemingly inexorable rise has plateaued and indeed gone down.

Net migration to the UK, the difference between immigration and emigration, was estimated to be 258,000 in 2018.

This is down from a peak of 336,000 in the year ending June 2016.

For more Kent 2019 General Election coverage click here

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