May to cut immigration

British Prime Minister Theresa May urged voters to "strengthen my hand" in Brexit talks and vowed to cut immigration as she unveiled the Conservative manifesto yesterday ahead of a general election.

May reiterated that Britain would be leaving the European single market and the customs union and warned of tricky battles over the next two years as the country negotiates its departure from the European Union.

"Every vote for me and my team will strengthen my hand in the negotiations to come," May said at the launch in Halifax in northern England, calling it "a manifesto to see us through Brexit and beyond."

An Ipsos MORI poll put the Conservatives on 49 percent -- unchanged since April -- and Labour on 34 percent -- a jump of eight percentage points.

The latest YouGov poll put the Conservatives on 45 percent -- down four points from May 11-12 -- and Labour on 32 percent, an increase of one point.

The manifesto renews a pledge to reduce net migration to under 100,000 a year, a promise that is popular with voters. It pledges to double to £2,000 a charge on companies hiring foreign workers, and cut immigration from outside the EU.

Immigrants will be required to pay more for healthcare, with foreign workers required to pay £600 a year, or £450 for international students. The party also aims to reduce asylum claims made in Britain, while promising to help people in "the most troubled regions".

The Conservative manifesto also said welfare payments for older people would be cut to fund social care and free school provision would be reduced to boost investment in other parts of the education system.

Executive pay packages will be subject to annual votes by shareholders and listed companies will have to publish the ratio of executive pay to "broader UK workforce" pay in a concession to widespread public anger over high salaries for big business bosses.

The threshold beyond which people have to pay income tax will be increased to £12,500 a year from £11,500 and the 40-percent tax rate will apply to salaries of £50,000 and above instead of £45,000 now.