Corbyn and May trade blows over funding cuts on eve of elections

JEREMY CORBYN accused Theresa May of “damaging” schools and the NHS as he used Prime Minister’s Questions to focus on community spending ahead of local elections.

The Labour leader opened by seeking to pile further pressure on the Prime Minister over the Windrush scandal before switching to issues affecting councils and other local authorities.

He described the Government’s record on the economy as a “failure”, said that Mrs May appeared to be “in denial” of school funding cuts, and claimed violent crime was rising, with “deaths from knife crime on the streets of most cities, particularly London” amid a backdrop of police job losses.

Mrs May defended her administration’s approach, telling MPs there was extra funding for the NHS, schools and social care before claiming “Conservative councils cost you less” by highlighting varying council tax rates for residents of a south London street which is covered by two authorities.

Voters will head to the polls today as elections take place at 150 councils in England along with six mayoral contests.

All eyes will be on London, where recent polls suggest a substantial swing to Labour could win the party control over Tower Hamlets and Barnet – and possibly even the flagship Conservative councils of Wandsworth and Westminster.

But upsets are also possible around the country, with Jeremy Corbyn’s party hopeful of taking power in town halls from Kirklees and Calderdale in Yorkshire and Trafford in Greater Manchester to Plymouth and Swindon in the south. The polls will give voters a chance to pass their verdict on Mrs May’s handling of Brexit.