YORK Central MP Rachael Maskell has called for £280 million earmarked for a Government yacht to be spent instead on tackling anti-social behaviour.

The Labour MP was speaking in Walmgate during a visit to York by Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds.

Ms Maskell said that while the Tories 'talk tough, their record shows they are in fact the party of crime and disorder.'

She said: "They have cut police to the lowest level in a generation and cut funding for services that prevent crime from happening. Now, Labour are pledging to crack down on anti-social behaviour and end violence against women and girls."

She said that between 2010 and 2020, thousands of police officers had been lost from the frontline, helping to cause a surge in antisocial behaviour and leaving people afraid in their own communities.

“While the Prime Minister has earmarked £280 million for a new government yacht, we would choose to spend this money in areas like York to tackle anti-social behaviour," she said.

"The additional funding could be used for surge funding for police officers and PCSOs; for helping councils fund enforcement or to pay for additional CCTV.

"Most important of all, it could fund vital youth and community services to safeguard young people and protect the public."

She said Labour wanted to strengthen legal protections for victims of anti-social behaviour to give victims of persistent, unresolved anti-social behaviour the same rights that it was proposing to enshrine for victims of crime.