Starmer criticises Labour MP over tenants’ complaints of mould and ants

Keir Starmer visiting a primary school in south-east London on Monday, the first day of the new school year. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images

Keir Starmer has criticised a Labour MP who has been accused of renting out flats with black mould and ant infestations, calling the conditions “unacceptable”.

The prime minister addressed the accusations against Jas Athwal, the MP for Ilford South, on Monday after a report by the BBC quoted several of his tenants complaining about the conditions in the properties they rented from him. One said there were ants “everywhere”, adding: “They are on my kid’s body and on their clothes.”