MERVYN KING, the Governor of the Bank of England, will be making a keynote economic speech in Kent this month.

Mr King will be guest of honour at a black tie dinner hosted jointly by the Bank of England and Kent Business in Ashford.

He will be addressing an audience of more than 300 invited business and public sector leaders from across the county.

Richard Parsons, publisher of Kent Business, said: "We are delighted and honoured that Mr King has chosen to make this important speech in Kent.

"We at Kent Business greatly value our long-standing partnership with the Bank of England and feel privileged to jointly host this prestigious event."

Mr King chairs the interest rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee, and was previously deputy governor to Eddie George from 1998 to 2003. He was chief economist and executive director from 1991.