Maria Eagle MP, Labour’s Shadow DEFRA Secretary, responding to the head of the UK statistics watchdog’s backing of assessments showing the Government cut flood defence spending by £247m in real terms, said:

“Following this clear ruling from the independent statistics watchdog, David Cameron and his Ministers must stop making misleading claims about their disastrous decision to cut funding for flood protection. The fact is that Ministers cut nearly £100m from flood protection budgets in 2010, a real terms cut of 17 per cent. Even after partially restoring some of this funding following the recent floods, there will still be £64million less available this year than at the time of the last election.

"The Government should now cut the spin and put all their efforts into providing the urgent help needed by those communities that had been affected by the recent flooding.”

Ends.