What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Labour has demanded Tory benefits chief Esther McVey resign - saying she was either lying to MPs or was incompetent.

The Work and Pensions Secretary brushed aside the call today as MPs summoned her to explain misleading statements about Universal Credit.

Ms McVey was forced to apologise after the National Audit Office criticised her use of facts in a damning open letter.

She insisted she only "inadvertently" misled MPs about a report by the NAO on her flagship benefits shake-up.

But Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Margaret Greenwood said today: "How can these statements be inadvertent slips of the tongue?"

Labour MP Ms Greenwood said the Cabinet minister had either deliberately "misrepresented" the NAO report - or was incompetent by not reading it properly.

Ms Greenwood told the House of Commons: "If she misread this report so badly this brings in to question her competence and her judgment.

"If she did read the report and chose to misrepresent its findings, she has clearly broken the ministerial code.

"Either way, she should resign."

The row erupted after Ms McVey disowned a report by the National Audit Office that warned the six-in-one benefit was poor value for money and forcing people to food banks.

Ms McVey claimed the damning report was out of date. But in an unprecedented open letter, respected NAO chief Sir Amyas Morse said there was “no evidence” of this.

He accused the Cabinet minister of misrepresenting his report, branded her behaviour "odd" and suggested she has refused to meet him. Crucially, he added her claim that Universal Credit is working "has not been proven".

Ms McVey apologised to parliament yesterday - for only one of three “unproven” statements highlighted by the NAO.

She told MPs: “I mistakenly said the NAO had asked for the rollout of Universal Credit to continue at a faster rate and be speeded up. In fact the NAO did not say that and I want to apologise."

(Image: Getty Images)

Today Ms McVey said she plans to meet Auditor General Sir Amyas on Monday.

Despite his criticism, she insisted the highly critical NAO report DID fail to take into account recent improvements to the benefit.

Ms McVey noted there was factual information agreed but said "we differ on the conclusions".

She added: "On the significant changes this Government has brought in this year, those effects cannot have fully been taken into account because they are still being rolled out."

The NAO report last month said the government did not show “sufficient sensitivity” to people driven to foodbanks by the benefit.

It said a quarter of new claims were not paid in full on time last year - 113,000. And from January to October 2017, 40% of those affected by late payments waited for 11 weeks or more.