PMQs: Corbyn attacks May over 'national disgrace' of homelessness

  • Politics

Jeremy Corbyn has said the rate of children and families facing homelessness is a "national disgrace" as he challenged the Prime Minister to get more people into stable homes.

Theresa May and Mr Corbyn traded blows on their parties' housing records during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.

The Labour leader said that one in 100 children in the country are homeless at any one time - and 128,000 will spend Christmas in temporary accommodation or the streets.

Many others are living in homes that not being maintained to a decent standard, he added.

He also said figures showed that homelessness and rough sleeping have increased every year since the Conservatives came to power in 2010.

Mrs May countered by claiming house-building and social housing reduced under the last Labour administration, adding: "Labour would produce failure for this country once again."

She said that her Government was putting a "clear focus on housing", pointing to measures in the latest budget to boost house-building.

"Compared to Labour, where house-building went down by 45%, where the number of homes bought and sold went down by 40%, and social housing went down by 400,000," she said.

Measures had also been taken to help councils to rehouse families in need and get help for households before they found themselves on the streets, she said.

"He talks about the right to buy - what a contrast," she added. "We actually want to give people the opportunity to buy their own home, the Labour party would take that opportunity away from them."

Mrs May also confirmed that MPs would get a vote on a Brexit deal. Credit: PA

Mrs May also confirmed that MPs will be given a vote on the Brexit withdrawal deal as she faced the prospect of a Tory revolt and first Commons defeat on the issue.

"We will put the final withdrawal agreement between the UK and the EU to a vote in both Houses of Parliament before it comes into force," the house was told.

Westminster would be given a vote ahead of the European Parliament and "well before" the date of Brexit in March 2019.

"To be clear, the final deal will be agreed before we leave and Honourable and Right Honourable Members will get a vote on it," she told the Commons.