Corbyn shrugs off Boris jibes and pledges a ‘serious debate’
JEREMY Corbyn has pledged to avoid “name-calling” in the General Election campaign, after Boris Johnson launched an all-out attack on the Labour leader, branding him a “mutton-headed old mugwump” who would be a threat to national security.
In a round of media interviews, the Foreign Secretary said the Labour leader had “no grasp of the need for this country to be strong in the world” and questioned how he would respond to the “semideranged” regime in North Korea.
He also warned the UK would be “totally stiffed” in Brexit negotiations if Mr Corbyn was dealing with Brussels.
Labour fought to keep the election agenda on domestic policy, highlighting plans to build a million homes, including at least 500,000 council houses.
Promising a country that is “properly housed”, the Labour leader said half of the new properties would be council or housing association owned.
The party has highlighted research showing Labour councils build nearly 1,000 more homes than their Tory counterparts on average.
On a visit to Harlow, Mr Corbyn reaffirmed Labour’s pledge to build a million homes over five years.
He said: “There doesn’t have to be such poverty. There doesn’t have to be such insecurity. Things can be very different.
“A Labour government won’t stand by and watch the housing crisis get worse.
“We will build a million homes over the period of a parliament, half of which will be council and housing association for rent and be totally affordable, because that is the Labour way.
“We want our country properly housed. We want our young people growing up with security so they can achieve more in school and college and go on to university, because this election is about the future and removing that sense of insecurity that so many face.”
Mr Corbyn cradled a toddler as he chatted to Labour supporters in a park in the Tory constituency.
He said: “We are for the many. They are for the few.
“You know the difference, we know the difference and we will take that message to every town and every city and every village over the whole of this election campaign. We know we can do it and we are going to do it.”
House of Commons library analysis shows Labour councils have built on average 2,577 new homes from 2010 to this year, compared with 1,679 in Tory-led areas.
The Labour-commissioned study showed Liberal Democrat councils performing slightly worse than the Tories, building on average 1,660.
Labour also pointed to official figures that show that housebuilding fell to 140,660 homes in 2016, 2,000 fewer than the previous year, and affordable housebuilding is at a 24-year low.
Shadow secretary of state for housing John Healey said: “From falling home ownership to rising homelessness, Britain has a desperate housing crisis and needs many more good homes.
“These new figures show that Labour in power means building more homes for local people.
“Tory ministers talk about getting Britain building, but their own local councils are lagging behind.”
Housing minister Gavin Barwell said: “Under Theresa May’s strong and stable leadership, we recently set out a clear plan to build more affordable housing – and the number of housing starts is up by three quarters since 2010.
“A vote for anyone else at this election risks putting Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street, propped up by the Lib Dems and the SNP in a coalition of chaos.
“When Labour last crashed the economy, housebuilding fell to the lowest peacetime levels since the 1920s.
“Think about what would happen under Corbyn.”