Chris Leslie MP, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, commenting ahead of the launch of the second phase of Help to Buy, said:   “If Ministers are serious about helping first time buyers they should bring forward investment to build more affordable homes.   “Rising demand for housing must be matched with rising supply, but under this Government house building is at its lowest level since the 1920s. Unless George Osborne acts now to build more affordable homes, as we have urged, then soaring prices risk making it even harder for first-time buyers to get on the housing ladder. You can’t tackle the cost of living crisis without building more homes.   “Rather than waiting a year, the Bank of England should immediately review the details of the scheme. How can it make sense that a policy which should be about helping first time buyers will allow taxpayer-backed mortgages for homes worth up to £600,000?   “And we need to know how much the Treasury intends to pocket in fees from people who take out Help to Buy mortgages. How will this money be accounted for in the public finances? George Osborne shouldn’t make struggling first-time buyers pay over the odds as he desperately tries to fill the hole in his failed deficit plan.”   Ends