Milton Keynes North MP Ben Everitt has secured a meeting with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to discuss the project for a fully fledged on-site university in the city.
At Treasury Questions in the House of Commons yesterday afternoon (11thOctober), Ben spoke of the importance of ‘delivering the skills for the future for the jobs on the future’, and requested a discussion with Minister Chris Philp.
Mr Philp agreed to meet with Ben, and potentially colleagues from the Department for Education, to discuss the MK:U project which is led by Cranfield University.
A number of apprenticeships are already underway at MK:U’s current home at Bouverie House in Central Milton Keynes, but Ben and Milton Keynes South MP Iain Stewart have been long campaigning for a fully-fledged on-site university for MK.
They have been lobbying Ministers in Westminster, working with MK:U’s CEO Lynette Ryals, and working on a bid for funding through the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
Ben Everitt MP said: “The Treasury frontbench will know that infrastructure needs skills and we need the skills for the future to deliver the jobs for the future to make the infrastructure investment sustainable…
“…every single minister and Secretary of State that I’ve spoken to about this thinks it’s a good idea so will he meet with me and get it off paper and get boots on the ground?”
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Chris Philp, responded: “I thank my Honourable Friend the Member for Milton Keynes North who is a tireless champion for the great place of Milton Keynes.
“I would be delighted to meet with him to discuss this idea along with colleagues perhaps from the Department for Education.”
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