Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the average annual cost of a five year fixed rate mortgage (a) on the week commencing 21 October 2024 and (b) in January 2025.

The pricing and availability of mortgages is ultimately a commercial decision for lenders, in which the Government does not intervene. Changes in offered mortgage rates are broadly driven by changes in financial market expectations for Bank Rate.

Monetary policy, including decisions on Bank Rate, is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) at the Bank of England. The Government remains committed to monetary policy independence and supporting the MPC to return inflation to target sustainably, and does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy.

External organisations, such as the Bank of England and Moneyfacts, track movements in offered mortgage rates.