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Britain’s richest MP sparked anger today after telling families on the breadline to stop wasting food.

Environment minister Richard Benyon, who stands to inherit a £110million fortune, said households were wasting money by throwing away “enormous amounts of food.”

He said “careful fridge management” would help solve the crisis in living standards and suggested families should eat more leftovers.

The Tory MP said many people had no idea how to keep fruit or vegetables or that cheese would last longer if properly wrapped.

Shadow Environment Secretary Mary Creagh said the remarks were insulting and showed how out of the touch the government was.

“Mums struggling to feed their families don’t need lectures on wrapping cheese from the country’s richest Tory MP.

“Mums struggling to feed their families don’t need lectures on wrapping cheese from a Tory Government which has created a cost of living crisis with its failed economic plan.

“People are cutting back on food, eating less fresh meat, fruit and vegetables and foodbanks can barely cope.

"This out of touch Government’s response to the cost of living crisis is condescension and a tax cut for millionaires,” she said.

She added: “If Ed Miliband was Prime Minister today, Labour would make a real difference by restoring the 50p tax rate and making a real difference to families, prioritise getting young people back to work, and saying let’s restore the tax credits that make work pay.”

Mr Benyon, the MP for Newbury, was named as the richest MP in the Times newspaper thanks to his family’s vast Englefield Estate in Hampshire.

He told families were wasting £50 a month on average by throwing away food.

“Food wasted means fewer pounds in our pocket.

"Household bills are squeezed at the moment and we have the opportunity through a variety of different agencies to inform people better about where their food comes from and how to use it most economically.

“Keeping most fruit in the fridge in its packaging can keep it fresher for a week or more, but around 60% of us take fruit out of the packaging, and more than 70% of us do not store it in the fridge.

Re-closing packs of cheese and sliced meats helps to stop them drying out in the fridge, but 13% of us apparently store such food unwrapped in the fridge,” he said.

David Cameron admitted Mr Benyon’s words did “not look good” and suggested the minister had been misquoted.

“What happened yesterday was there was a debate in Westminster on the issue of food waste and as the minister responsible he was responsible for giving an answer on issues to do with food waste and supermarket packaging,” he said

Stephen McPartland, the Conservative MP for Stevenage, said: “I don’t think it is right for the Government to preach to people who choose to purchase food and use that food.

“Nobody likes waste and families on low incomes often buy in bulk because it can be cheaper.

"No one in those families are wasting food intentionally.”