§ Q3. Mr. ButlerTo ask the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Milton Keynes.
§ The Prime MinisterI am making plans for a series of visits to all parts of the country, and I hope to include Buckinghamshire among them.
§ Mr. ButlerIs my right hon. Friend aware that in the past 12 months the private sector has invested a record £374 million in Milton Keynes, helping to create 6,500 new 292 jobs? Is that not an excellent example of something that we are seeing throughout the country—a fully justified growth in business confidence?
§ The Prime MinisterI think that we shall see a good deal more of that in the months to come—not least because of the very good news on inflation, which on Friday fell to 3 per cent. We also had figures today to show that factory gate inflation is at its lowest level for a generation. That is the clearest possible sign that we have yet seen that we are winning the battle against inflation, which is vital to industry, commerce, investment and jobs. It is precisely because of those successes that we now have the lowest interest rates in the European Community and a very solid platform for industrial recovery next year.