Labour promised a mass house-building programme yesterday after a study revealed private-sector rents have risen twice as fast as wages over the last year.

Rent across England and Wales shot up to £753 a month on average as tenants were squeezed for an extra 1.6 per cent compared to last year.

But wages have been left standing at just £1,941 per month before tax after an increase of 0.8 per cent since last November.