Tories 'will force companies to pay more to hire migrant workers'

Conservatives making overtures to Ukip voters, experts say

Businesses who employ migrants will pay more tax (Getty)

The Conservatives will reportedly pledge to make companies who hire migrant workers pay more in costs.

It comes as Theresa May has vowed to uphold the party's promise to reduce immigration to the tens of thousands in a manifesto due to be published on Thursday.

Experts say the Conservatives are attempting to capitalise on their pro-Brexit position and take votes from Ukip.

The increased costs will come in the form of a doubled 'skills charge', which will go towards training British workers, the BBC reported.

It will apply to businesses who hire skilled workers from outside of Europe and would rise from £1,000 to £2,000 per worker per year under the Conservatives.

Among other manifesto proposals, the Tories will also commit to erasing the national deficit by 2025, the Telegraph reported.

Wiping out the deficit by 2020 was a key target of David Cameron's government and led to a severe austerity programme. But former Chancellor George Osborne scrapped the plan following the Brexit vote, saying the government had to be "realistic" about the aim.

The pledge, which will be viewed by some as a loosening of fiscal policy, is a departure from finance minister Philip Hammond's pledge in the March budget that the deficit would fall to 0.7 per cent by 2021-22, the lowest level in two decades, the newspaper said.

Ms May will also reportedly pledge to ensure corporation tax falls to 17 percent by 2020.

Additional reporting by agencies