Parliamentary reporter @TrinderMatt

A SENIOR Tory backbencher was accused of hypocrisy today after he railed at “intolerable hunger” in the home counties despite having voted for cuts to social security and against extending free school meals.

Wycombe MP Steve Baker warned ministers of a cost of living crisis in seats such as his, where he said people have been “tipped over the edge” financially by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Mr Baker urged ministers to abandon plans to end the temporary £20 uplift to universal credit (UC) in September, with Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey known to be uneasy about the move as a Tory rebellion grows.