William Hague has rejected claims by the Mayor of Calais that migrants regard the UK as 'El Dorado' but has acknowledged the government needs to go further to deal with the impact of immigration.

Mr Hague, the former foreign secretary and now leader of the House of Commons, was the latest high-profile politician to take to the campaign trail in Rochester and Strood.

After a walkabout in Chatham High Street with candidate Kelly Tolhurst, he said

comments made by the Mayor of Calais 'were another reason to support the Conservative party. '

"It is the Conservative party that has brought these things under control. We brought in the rule that migrants cannot claim Job Seekers Allowance for three months and you can only get it for three months.

"And we have introduced a benefit cap - all of which Labour opposed.

"He accepted that more needed to be done.

"We do not deny that we have got more to do. The issue of immigration will have to be a big issue in our renegotiation of our membership of the EU."

He backed a proposal by Kelly Tolhurst that people should only be eligible for social housing once they had lived in the area for five years.

During the walkabout, Mr Hague and Ms Tolhurst were confronted by Donna Ripley over plans for what she described as a 'mega' mosque in Gillingham.

She told them: "I am not against a mosque in Gillingham but I am against something that will be huge. is that the way you want the country to go?"

Ukip denies Britain First link

Kelly Tolhurst said the mosque had been backed by all three parties on Medway Council.

Describing herself as a former Conservative voter, Mrs Ripley said that she had not made up her mind who to back but it would not be Ukip.