{
  "id": 10491963,
  "title": "Labour’s modest reheat of help to buy is worth a try | Nils Pratley",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/labours-modest-reheat-of-help-to-buy-is-worth-a-try-nils-pratley",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-28T16:51:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Business",
    "slug": "guardian-business",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/28/labour-help-to-buy-your-first-home"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Labour party is considering reviving the Conservative government's \"Help to Buy\" mortgage scheme, which offers low deposit requirements for first-time buyers. The proposal, unveiled by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, involves reducing the maximum deposit contribution from buyers to 2.5%, potentially stimulating the struggling housing sector.\n\nThree factors may have deterred the Labour government from revisiting the Tory initiative. First, introducing subsidies into the housing market at a time when inflation is rising due to energy prices and the Iran conflict could prove inflationary. Second, the political risk of adopting George Osborne's earlier scheme is a significant concern. Third, the controversy surrounding Jeff Fairburn, the former boss of Persimmon who received a £75 million bonus while help to buy was boosting his company's share value, may damage Labour's credibility.\n\nReinstating the scheme comes with the risk of creating more Jeff Fairburns, individuals who benefited from the previous scheme but lacked the necessary financial discipline. Despite these concerns, Labour believes the modest reheat of the Help to Buy scheme could be worth a try to address the housing crisis.",
  "summary": "Turning to George Osborne’s playbook may look awkward, but cutting deposits to 2.5% could jolt a housebuilding sector stuck in a funk What you need to know about Your First Home scheme There may be three reasons why the Labour government has hesitated until now to reheat the Tories’ decade-long help-to-buy scheme. First, the inflationary risks of throwing subsidies at the housing market at a…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}