Iain Duncan Smith hid his face with a newspaper and fled a London job centre today, as furious protesters shouted "murderer" at him.

Demonstrators hurled abuse at the Work and Pensions as he visited Peckham Job Centre, after it was revealed one in ten so-called 'fit for work' assessments for sickness and disability benefit claimants was performed inadequately.

Mr Duncan Smith held up a copy of the Daily Mail to shield his face, as his blacked out Range Rover was blocked in the driveway of the centre by the pack of angry activists.

They shouted "scumbag" and "murderer of disabled people" through the tinted windows, as Police struggled to clear a path for the minister's vehicle.

It was revealed last week that the new firm handling the assessments is even worse than Atos , who abandoned them in March.

According to a report by the National Audit Office, one in ten assessments carried out by new US contractors Maximus is not up to scratch - more than twice as many as Atos.

Claimants are waiting an average of 23 weeks to be assessed, instead of the target of seven weeks.

Mirror Online approached the Department for Work and Pensions for comment on today's incident, but they had not responded at the time of publication.

Today a leading cancer charity claimed cuts to sickness benefits could leave cancer patients homeless.

Macmillan Cancer Support says that Government cuts to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) will leave thousands of people with cancer £30 a week worse off.

The charity’s survey of 1,000 cancer sufferers has revealed that 10% said they would be unable, or would struggle, to pay their mortgage or rent if they lost the £120 a month.

A Government spokesman said: “The vast majority of people with cancer will continue to receive additional top up payments and nobody claiming ESA is required to get a job.

“People currently claiming Employment and Support Allowance will not see their benefit change as a result of this reform.

“The Government has made over £1 billion available to prevent and tackle homelessness, and support vulnerable households since 2010.”

Meanwhile, it also emerged last week that a woman with crippling lung disease was told she no longer qualified for additional sickness benefit payment to cover at home care on the day she died.

And last month a disabled woman who has worked all her life was told she would lose the Motability car that allows her to do her job, after being subjected to assessments she described as "humiliating."