General election 2019: Jeremy Corbyn pledges £845 million for children battling mental health problems

Jeremy Corbyn has vowed to give every child access to mental health support by spending £845 million if Labour succeeds in the general election.

Under the plan, announced on Monday, every secondary school will be provided with a qualified counsellor.

Drop-in mental health hubs would also be set up in every local authority to help a further 300,000 children.

The Labour Party leader promised his government would "start treating mental health as seriously as physical health" as he outlined plans for the Healthy Young Minds fund to help the one in eight children suffering from a mental health disorder.

Mr Corbyn told the Mirror: "Our society is fuelling mental illness on a huge scale and our young people are not getting the support they need.

"We have to start treating mental health as seriously as physical health."

As well as recruiting secondary school counsellors, the Labour Party has vowed to give every primary school access to qualified experts at least once a week.

Mr Corbyn added: “If we don’t help our young people, we’re not only failing them, but storing up problems for the future for a whole generation.”

According to mental health charity Mind, the number of child and adolescent mental health service appointments cancelled by the NHS in England soared by 25 per cent in the last year to 175,000.