Balls says Labour are fighting hard for the “political battleground” of Milton Keynes

Ed Balls visited Lohmann Technologies UK, a high technology adhesive tape company, based in Knowhill, Milton Keynes.

The visit took place on Monday, after the Labour Party launched its Business Manifesto in Bloomberg, London.

During his visit, the Shadow Chancellor claimed that a key promise within the Business Manifesto is to address small businesses in the UK.

He went on to explain how the Labour Party plans to save small and medium enterprises (SME’s) by “cutting business rates” which has the potential to save SME’s “an average of £450.”

With the area being concentrated with SME’s, Mr Balls claimed that Labour are fighting hard for the “political battleground” that is Milton Keynes.

The area is split into the two constituencies, Milton Keynes North and Milton Keynnes South, which were held by the Conservatives.

The visit comes just weeks after all four candidates standing against the recent constituent holder, Conservative Mark Lancaster, wrote a joint letter to the Milton Keynes Citizen newspaper, promising to vote against MP’s having second jobs.

The letter said: “We are united in our belief that the public want and deserve full-time commitment from whoever wins this forthcoming election.

“We have each committed that should we be elected we will not take any paid directorships or consultancies during our term of office.”

The letter was signed by candidates Labour’s Emily Darlington, Paul Graham of the Liberal Democrats, Jennifer Marklew of the Green Party and UKIP’s Stuart Moore.

Mr Lancaster has held a seat in Milton Keynes North since its creation and worked alongside Palmer Capital Partners (PCP).

In response to the letter, he said: “My brief spell at PCP in 2011 until 2012, knowledge of which, has been in the public domain for the last 3 years, was a valuable insight into the world of investment.”

He also added, “As a minister I am already prohibited from paid directorships or consultancy work.”