Ukip leader Nigel Farage said immigration is "the number one issue" as he kicked off his election campaign in Kent.

Mr Farage is in Dover today, ahead of four weeks of intense campaigning and amid party hopes that the leader can make an historic parliamentary breakthrough by becoming MP for South Thanet.

He has been speaking about his party's immigration policies, and has unveiled a campaign poster with the message: "Immigration is three times higher than the Tories promised. Ukip is the only party you can trust to reduce immigration".

He said: "I cannot think of a more appropriate place than the White Cliffs of Dover, the gateway to Europe, to talk about immigration.

"This subject gets right to the heart of why the public are disillusioned with politics. It is all about trust.

"Five years ago David Cameron said he would reduce immigration to 1990s levels. There was a problem with that and when he made it, he was being wilfully
dishonest.

"You cannot control immigration and set targets while you are in the EU."

But he sidestepped questions about Ukip's own targets saying it would work towards "normality".

He said immigration was the top issue in Kent - even more so than the economy - and that the impact was being felt on the pressure for school places, the difficulty in getting a appointments at GP surgeries and other pressures on the NHS.

The party is optimistic about its prospects but some polls have suggested that Ukip's popularity is flatlining - and in some cases, falling.

Mr Farage has accepted that the recent expulsion from the party of MEP Janice Atkinson, who was to contest Folkestone and Hythe, caused the party some damage.

But the extent of how much collateral damage has been done to his own campaign remains to be seen.

His Conservative opponent in the contest Craig Mackinlay claimed today that Mr Farage would be "too busy" to be MP.

He made the comment after an interview in which Mr Farage admitted he is "stretched" fighting a marginal seat while leading a national campaign.

Mr Mackinlay said: “If Nigel Farage concedes he is stretched now, imagine what it might be like if he is trying to represent South Thanet while running his party from Westminster.

"He has already admitted he would be too busy to give the constituency the amount of attention it deserves.

"Once the media circus has left, Nigel Farage and Ukip will disappear, but I will still be here, fighting for the people of South Thanet."