The Labour leader has attacked the Government's housebuilding record, saying housing is treated as "an investment for the few, not homes for the many".

Jeremy Corbyn has highlighted figures that show Labour councils are building on average nearly 1,000 more homes than their Tory counterparts, and that building affordable homes is at a 24-year low.

On a visit to Essex, Mr Corbyn attacked the "rigged system" and warned "Britain faces a housing crisis, with runaway rents and unaffordable housing."

He pledged the party would build one million more homes - half of them council houses.

:: £3bn fund to help small firms build new homes


He said: "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."

According to figures from the House of Commons library, Labour councils have built on average 2,577 new homes from 2010 to this year, while Conservative councils have built 1,679.

Housebuilding levels 'not good enough'

The data also showed Liberal Democrat-controlled councils performed worse than the Tories, building on average 1,660.

According to housing associations, more than 220,000 homes a year need to be built to keep pace with demand, however, the number of new homes being completed each year is currently just 170,000.

Henry Gregg from the National Housing Federation said: "Whoever wins needs the political will to push forward house building at a local level. Local people have said they want to have house building, especially if it's affordable."

However, the Conservatives could point to figures from the National House Building Council (NHBC) released on Thursday which show the number of new-build homes being registered at the start of 2017 at their highest level in a decade.

Around 42,470 new homes were registered in the first quarter of 2017, showing the strongest quarter since the third quarter of 2007, as well as a 17% increase on the same period in 2016.

Housing Minister Gavin Barwell MP 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."