Jeremy Corbyn has issued a damning attack on Boris Johnson’s response to the flooding in the north.
He accused the government of being sluggish because the water hit in the north and midlands rather than the south east.
“The Conservative government’s response to the floods has been woeful,” he said.
“Just imagine if this had happened in Surrey instead of Yorkshire. I think there would have been a very very different response.”
The Prime Minister is set to chair a meeting of the Government's emergency committee after severe flooding in parts of the country where rain is finally expected to ease on Tuesday afternoon.
The meeting will take place on Tuesday afternoon and comes after Jeremy Corbyn sent a letter to Boris Johnson urging him to convene the emergency response committee despite Number 10 insisting the meeting was planned before the letter.
Mr Corbyn said today: "This time, Boris Johnson waited five days before calling a COBRA meeting – and only after I wrote to him demanding it."
And the Labour leader accused the Tories of a lack of "common sense" when it comes to investing in flood defences.
He said that David Cameron rightly said “"Money is no object in this relief effort. Whatever money is needed, we will spend it" in 2014.
But that the Tories had not delivered and they had failed to build the "more resilient country for the future," he promised.
He said the Tories frontline flood response and Environment Agency staff have been slashed by a fifth – and fire and rescue staff by nearly a quarter.
And urged the government to make sure money for local authorities from the Bellwin fund was quickly distributed.
He said: "We are in a climate and environment emergency.
"Funding flood defences and emergency responders is a priority. That’s just common sense."
The Environment Agency insist that they have protected the frontline and their ability to manage environmental and flooding incidents.