MP Jo Platt has invited a chief from global technology giant Amazon to Leigh to show the impact that underinvestment has had on the town.

The Shadow Cabinet Office Minister sent the invite to the company’s UK public policy senior manager James Johns.

It followed a discussion in parliament about a decline in support for cloud services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

This comes at a time when public funding for Amazon Web Services has increased by 8,000 per cent since 2015.

Ms Platt received a letter from Amazon Web Services recently in defence of the company’s position.

It also highlighted a scheme that they run to feed 7,000 hungry children in the UK every day.

The letter pointed to Amazon’s proposed investment into Manchester city centre as well.

In her reply, the Labour MP raised the company’s tax affairs and her party’s eight procurement points.

She says these points ensure companies receiving public money pay their fair share of tax to fund public services.

Amazon’s corporation tax bill has amounted to £27.8 million since 2015 which Ms Platt believes is not enough for a “mega-firm”.

After agreeing to meet, Ms Platt accepted Amazon’s invitation on the basis that the meeting is held in Leigh so she can show the Amazon boss the impact underinvestment has had on post-industrial towns.

She also wants to discuss the company’s tax arrangements.

Ms Platt also agreed with the Amazon boss that child poverty is a “stain on our society” with one in four children in Leigh living in poverty after housing costs.

Ms Platt said: “I am firmly of the opinion that if mega-firms like Amazon paid their fair share of tax, a Labour Government would be able to implement a truly transformational programme to eradicate child poverty in the UK.”

Ms Platt has welcomed Amazon’s planned expansion into Manchester but raised the barriers that young people in towns like Leigh face in accessing these high-skilled and professional employment opportunities.

She added: “Amazon’s involvement in areas like the one I represent is almost entirely restricted to the presence of its warehouses, which, while employing thousands of people, are frequently the subject of accusations of extremely poor working conditions.”

The Journal has asked Amazon for a comment about the issues raised in the letters but the multinational company has failed to provide a right of reply.