Jeremy Corbyn is plotting to wage a war on church schools by cutting their funding and banning selection by faith, it was claimed last night.

The Labour leader and his team have repeatedly threatened to abolish faith schools or stop them from prioritising Christian pupils.

The 7,000 faith schools around the country, which make up around a third of the total in England, consistently achieve higher performance in exam results.

But Mr Corbyn, his shadow chancellor John McDonnell and shadow home secretary Diane Abbott have consistently pledged to hamper them. As a backbench MP, Mr Corbyn regularly signed parliamentary motions calling for an end to religious selection in schools. In 2013, he sponsored a Commons petition seeking 'to open up all state-funded schools to all children without regard to religion'.

Time to go? Jeremy Corbyn, pictured, his shadow chancellor John McDonnell and shadow home secretary Diane Abbott have pledged to hamper the 7,000 faith schools in England

It claimed faith schools 'risk undermining community cohesion by segregating children'.

Miss Abbott, who sent her son to a private school, has said that religious schools should be phased out, despite the fact many are over-subscribed.

She told a human rights conference in 2011 they were 'divisive', adding: 'The idea of schools being a relatively secular zone is a good one. Keep religion out of the classroom.

One of the things Tony Blair did which I didn't think was right was he promoted religious schools … I think the right position for a socialist party to have taken in 1997 was to phase them out. Because although they are very popular with parents … I think they are potentially divisive.

'In Scotland for instance, it's education that perpetuates the divisions between Catholics and Protestants.'

Mr McDonnell's hard-Left faction, the Labour Representation Committee, pledged to abolish faith schools at the 2010 election when he was chairman.

Plotting? Jeremy Corbyn is planning to wage a war on church schools by cutting their funding and banning selection by faith, it was claimed last night

The group's manifesto stated: 'There should be no selection by ability or religion – schools should be secular and serve all children.' In March, the Lib Dems adopted an official policy of abolishing all faith-based admissions in state schools.

Sajid Javid, Communities and Local Government Secretary, last night warned that faith schools would be at risk if Mr Corbyn was elected prime minister.

He said: 'Conservatives will support church and faith schools … But Jeremy Corbyn, supported by a coalition of chaos, would wage war on faith schools, reducing choice for parents and undermining these schools' unique character and ethos.

'Conservatives will continue to deliver more good school places, and believe that faith schools have a vital role in helping deliver better education for all.'

A Labour spokesman said: 'It is not Labour policy to phase out faith schools.

'Labour has always recognised that faith schools are an important part of the educational landscape and under a Labour government applications for new faith schools will still be considered.'