UK chancellor Rachel Reeves has launched a “one-stop shop” support service to cut red tape and remove barriers to make the UK more attractive to global investors.

Reeves unveiled the launch of the Office for Investment: Financial Services during the annual meetings for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC, according to a Treasury announcement on Friday.

The Treasury said that the new “concierge” service will help global financial services firms pick locations, navigate regulation and get to grips with Britain’s business environment, with the aim of removing barriers to investing in the UK.

The free service will be delivered by the government’s Office for Investment, as a partnership between the Treasury, financial regulators and the City of London Corporation.

The investment fast track service was initially announced in the chancellor’s Leeds Reforms in July, aimed at rewiring the UK’s financial system to boost growth.

The Treasury said that the service would help create jobs across the country, highlighting that more than half of the 1.2 million people working in financial services in the UK are based outside of London.

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It explained that the Office for Investment: Financial Services would “draw on the strengths” of the UK’s financial clusters, such as Leeds, Liverpool, Belfast and Bristol, to promote investment opportunities and help deliver infrastructure across the country.

“We said we would make it easier to create jobs and grow a business in our country and we’re delivering,” said Reeves.

“This service will drive investment across our United Kingdom, making sure that the world’s most innovative businesses can access the talent found in every corner of our country and that working people feel better off.”

During US president Donald Trump’s recent UK state visit, US companies pledged £150bn of investment in Britain. The Treasury said this would create 7,600 jobs across the UK, in places such as Glasgow, Warrington and the Midlands.

The government’s drive to boost investment, comes as the UK continues to struggle with weak economic growth. Data released by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday showed that the UK economy grew by just 0.1% August, though this was in line with expectations and marked a slight improvement over July, when the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 0.1%.

This economic growth data, as well as figures pointing to continued weakness in the UK labour market, along with persistent inflation and a rise in government borrowing, are all in focus ahead of Reeves’ autumn budget on 26 November. Speculation is ramping up ahead of the budget as to what policy changes, such as tax rises, the chancellor could announce in the budget in order to shore up the UK’s public finances.