Chancellor Rishi Sunak wants to 'replicate' Milton Keynes' business success across the country and addresses knife crime issues

The Chancellor visited Speedy Services in Milton Keynes to explain next month’s £6 billion tax cut worth up to £330 a year to 30 million people in the UK.

As the Chancellor hopes to steer the UK out of the current cost of living crisis he credited Milton Keynes’ for the number of new companies being launched in the area.

Mr Sunak told The MK Citizen: “You look at what’s going on here, it’s something actually, that we want to replicate across the country.

"If I look at the amount of jobs being created, new companies that are being started, or here at Speedy Services where I’ve been speaking to the manager and employees this morning, there’s so much optimism about the future of these businesses and the things that they are doing, particularly around net zero.

"I’ve come away from today, feeling even more confident about our economic future having spent a few hours in Milton Keynes.”

The Chancellor spoke with around 50 Speedy employees for half-an-hour holding a question-and-answer session addressing residents concerns about soaring fuel prices and the rocketing inflation.

Mr Sunak then addressed the major dark cloud and concern hanging over the city, knife crime.

He added: “I’m a parent as well, so I share the anxiety that people have about their communities being safe places, and that’s really important to the Government.

"That’s why the Prime Minister committed to 20,000 more police officers on the street and I think so far in Thames Valley we’ve got about 362 of those who have already been found and recruited, and that will make a difference.

"And I know the community has experienced some really awful things recently, but I want to give people the reassurance that the overall trend is in a positive direction, even though things have been difficult in the short term.

"And we are doing the thing that I know people will think will make the most difference, putting the funding in and making sure we are getting that funding to the frontline and getting more police officers on the street.”