General election 2019: Jeremy Corbyn slams government's 'woeful' response to flooding in northern England

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has blasted Boris Johnson's government over its "woeful" response to flooding in northern England.

Speaking at a rally in Blackpool, Mr Corbyn repeated his claim that had the floods happened in Surrey rather than in Yorkshire and the east Midlands, it would have been "a very different story".

He said: “More than 1,000 homes have been evacuated and one woman, Annie Hall, has lost her life. Our hearts go out to her family and friends.

“The Conservative government’s response to the floods has been woeful.

"If this had happened in Surrey instead of Yorkshire and the east Midlands, I think it would have been a very different story.

“When terrible floods struck the south in 2014, David Cameron rightly said: ‘Money is no object in this relief effort. Whatever money is needed, we will spend it.’

“This time, Boris Johnson waited five days before calling a Cobra meeting – and only after I wrote to him demanding it.

"We now need a guarantee from the government that the Bellwin money [emergency flood funds] is made immediately available to local government.”

Mr Corbyn also spoke about the party's new education policies.

The Labour leader said: “I see education as an escalator running alongside you throughout life that you can get on and off whenever you want.

“That’s what Labour’s National Education Service will offer people – free education, as a right for all.”

Mr Corbyn also attacked Tory “cuts” to schools. He said: “So are they going to apologise to all the children who have missed out since 2010?

“Children only have one chance, they only have one childhood. Are they going to apologise to every child who has had their education damaged because of the cruel political choices made by the Conservatives in 2010?”

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