A CHORLTON youngster has hit the headlines after he foxed Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, with a simple maths question during a live Sky News debate.

Samuel Raddings, 7, was part of a panel of six budding young reporters, aged 7 to 14, who quizzed the Tatton MP as part of a question and answer session.

After asking the Chancellor if he knew what seven times eight was, the Mr Osborne told Samuel: "I've made it a rule in life not to answer a whole load of maths questions.

"Of course there is a lot of maths in my job but it also about making judgements about where the Government should spend its money."

The 30-minute interview, run by childrens' newspaper First News, saw Osborne probed on everything from his views on immigration and further education to his home life by children from First News and Sky Academy.

He told the youngsters he wished he had done more to help Britain's economy when the coalition first came to power, and that he regretted that his attempts to reform the economy had not gone far enough.

Mr Osborne said: "When you get into office that's your opportunity to take some really big decisions.

"And we did take some big decisions because then you've got a few years to see them played out.

"But actually I look back and think there's even more we could have done to fix some of the economic problems and I want to go on therefore taking decisions that will help create jobs. 

"If anything, it's like I wish we'd done even more."

Complementing the young panel on their steadfast interview techniques he said “I think often children ask much more direct questions than grown-ups.

"These guys got straight to the point and asked direct questions, and that’s absolutely the right way to do it”.