Labour says it has built 50% more homes than the Conservatives

Labour says its councils have built 50% more homes than the Conservatives as Jeremy Corbyn's party lays out its plan to tackle the country's housing crisis.

Labour says its research shows that between 2010 and 2016, only 1,679 homes were built on average in Tory-led local authority areas - nearly 1,000 fewer than in Labour councils.

Labour's House of Commons library analysis shows that its councils built, on average, 2,577 new homes, also ahead of Liberal Democrat-led areas, which built 1,660.

Labour's shadow housing secretary, John Healey, said homebuilding levels are at their lowest peace-time rate since the 1920s, affordable house-building at a 24-year low and homelessness has doubled.

"These new figures show that Labour in power means building more homes for local people," he said. "Tory ministers talk about getting Britain building but their own local councils are lagging behind.

Corbyn is due to go to Harlow on Thursday (27 April) where he will describe a "rigged" housing system in which properties are treated "as an investment for the few, not homes for the many".

However the Conservative Party said that Labour's figures were misleading as Tory councils are smaller in geographical size and tend to have more protected land. It said its White Paper sets out a clear plan to build more affordable housing.

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."