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The Tories scrapped plans for a key flood protection scheme because it cost too much, No 10 admitted today.

Jeremy Corbynraised the cut at Prime Minister's Questions to laughs and jeers from Tory MPs - but the government was quickly forced to admit he was right, at least partly.

A £190million project protecting 12 miles of the River Aire in Leeds was rejected in 2011.

A thousand homes were flooded in the city on Boxing Day - and Jeremy Corbyn today urged David Cameron to commit to the scheme, rather than a smaller flood protection plan costing £33million.

The row dominated Mr Cameron's weekly Commons clash with the Labour leader.

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Mr Corbyn told him: “In 2011, a £190million flood defence project on the Rver Aire in Leeds was cancelled on cost grounds by the Government.

(Image: Darren Staples/PA Wire)

“A thousand homes and businesses in Leeds were flooded in recent weeks.

“The Government is still only committed to a scaled-down version of the project worth a fraction of its total cost, when the Prime Minister claimed that money was no object when it came to flood relief.”

Mr Corbyn called for the full scheme to be given the green light “to protect Leeds from future flooding”.

But Mr Cameron repeatedly refused to commit to the more expensive project.

Claiming flood protection spending had “gone up and up and up”, he insisted: “No flood defence schemes have been cancelled since 2010.”

Downing Street aides denied the £190million scheme had been “cancelled”, but the PM’s spokeswoman said: “There was a proposal but it was deemed unaffordable.”

Shelving the project in 2011, Tory Minister Richard Benyon likened the flood wall scheme to “a Rolls-Royce, where a reasonably priced family car might serve some of the purpose”.

Leeds Council leader Judith Blake demanded the same help for Yorkshire as was given to Tory heartlands following the 2013-14 floods.

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(Image: PA)

"We need Government to provide the same level of commitment to our region as they have previously shown other flood-hit areas in the south of England,” she said.

Ms Blake also accused Tory "floods envoy" Robert Goodwill of "re-announcing" the £33million scheme in a bid to tackle residents' anger at the latest devastation.

The row comes as Environment Agency bosses are quizzed by MPs on their response to the flooding.

Chairman Sir Philip Dilley faced criticism for being on holiday in Barbados at the height of the crisis. He is due to appear before the Commons Environment Committee with the Agency’s chief executive Sir James Bevan.