Theresa May slams Jeremy Corbyn saying there is no place in Labour for those who want to tackle anti-Semitism

THERESA May has slammed Jeremy Corbyn and said there is no place in Labour for those who want to tackle anti-Semitism

In a feisty debate on council funding the Prime Minister listed three senior figures in local government she said had been forced out of Mr Corbyn’s party.

She also mocked the Labour leader over two councillors who have defected to the Tories in protest at the party’s leadership in PMQs today.

It came after Mr Corbyn accused the Government of asking households and businesses to pay more to receive less and taking a "slash-and-burn" approach to local authority spending.

He challenged Mrs May to explain if Tory-run Northamptonshire County Council's collapse is a result of Conservative "incompetence" locally or nationally.

And he also highlighted the outsourcing undertaken by Barnet council under the Tories, saying local authorities were facing a £5.8 billion funding gap by 2020.

Mr Corbyn said council funding had been cut by half since 2010 and households now faced council tax rises of £1billion, adding: “This Government demands households and businesses pay more to get less."

But Mrs May said a look at local authorities up and down the country showed "Conservative councils cost you less".

She added it would be helpful if Mr Corbyn "accurately reflected" the independent inspection into Northamptonshire, saying the report was clear the failure was not a case of under-funding.

And the PM attacked shadow communities secretary Andrew Gwynne, who she said supported "a tax on your home and your garden" as well as a new hotel tax.

She said: "We all know what would happen under Labour. More taxes, and ordinary working people would pay the price.”

And Mrs May added: "He says that his shadow local government secretary is supporting councils. I wonder if he's supporting these councils.

"Haringey, where the Labour leader was forced out. Brighton, where the Labour leader was forced out. Cornwall, where the Labour group leader was forced out.

"What have these people done? They had supported building more homes, providing good local services and tackling anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.”

The PM finished by saying: "So the message is clear - if you believe in good local services, if you want to see more homes built, and if you want to tackle anti-Semitism, there is no place for you in the Labour Party."

She also criticised the Labour leader for failing to mention unemployment figures published earlier today, which she said showed joint record high levels of employment.

Adding: "Who do I think benefits from a strong jobs market? Labour staffers, Labour council leaders and moderate Labour Members of Parliament.”