Prime Minister Boris Johnson set to visit flood hit South Yorkshire today

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to visit South Yorkshire to visit flood hit communities today.
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The PM’s exact destination has not been announced – and it comes a day after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn visited Bentley and Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson met with volunteers in Stainforth.

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Doncaster floods: Flood alerts, school and road closures, bus and train disrupti...

Mr Corbyn also came to Conisbrough on Saturday and the Government’s response to the floods has become a key General Election issue ahead of the December 12 poll.

Boris Johnson visited Doncaster in September.Boris Johnson visited Doncaster in September.
Boris Johnson visited Doncaster in September.
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Both have called on Mr Johnson to declare the flooding in Doncaster a national emergency and yesterday the PM chaired a COBRA meeting to discuss the Government’s response.

Last night the PM said authorities were working "flat out" and a request had been made for "a little bit more help" from the military in getting sandbags and other defences to some of the areas affected.

The Army has already been mobilised and has begun work in Doncaster this morning with 100 personnel deployed to help in areas such as Fishlake and Bentley.

Jon Trickett, shadow minister for the Cabinet Office and Labour MP for Hemsworth in West Yorkshire, said Mr Johnson's proposals were "too little too late".

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He said: "You can't trust Boris Johnson to look out for the North or the Midlands or protect our communities from flooding."

Other measures announced by Mr Johnson last night were:

Funding for local councils where households and businesses have been affected - equivalent to £500 per eligible household

Up to £2,500 for small and medium-sized businesses which have suffered severe impacts not covered by insurance

Referring to the response for people affected by the flooding, Mr Johnson added: "I know there will be people who feel that that isn't good enough.

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"I know there will be people who are worrying about the damage to their homes, who will be worried about the insurance situation, worried about the losses they face.

"All I want to say to those people is that there are schemes to cover those losses."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had earlier said the government's response was "woeful" while Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson called for "long-term policy changes".

Mr Corbyn said if the flooding had happened in Surrey it "would have been a very different story".

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Few details of the PM’s visit have been announced but he will not be speaking to the regional and local media, giving only one pooled interview.

It is his second visit to South Yorkshire in a matter of months, making a whistle stop tour of Doncaster Market Place earlier this year.