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Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith was today accused of a “wholly improper” attempt to blame a civil servant for failings in his benefit reform.

Labour made the accusation in the Commons after The Times reported that the Work and Pensions Secretary and his team had approached Tory MPs on the public accounts committee to ask that its report name and shame his department’s permanent secretary, Robert Devereux.

The report, published today by the committee, found at least £140 million has been wasted on the Universal Credit project. Mr Duncan Smith denied that he attempted to pin the blame on Mr Devereux.

But shadow Commons leader Angela Eagle told MPs: “This morning we learned of a wholly improper attempt to lean on members of an independent select committee of this House by the Secretary of State and his parliamentary team, to try to put the blame on the permanent secretary. Can we have an urgent statement about these very serious allegations.”

Leader of the House Andrew Lansley rejected her call, saying that Mr Duncan Smith had denied the claims in a conversation with him. A spokeswoman for the Work and Pensions Secretary said: “Iain has not asked for anyone to be named in the report.”