Iain Duncan Smith has urged Tory MPs to reject the Gvernment's own hman rights watchdog and support controversial disability benefits cuts.

On Monday, the House of Lords voted down Conservative proposals to cut the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) by up to £30 a week.

Following that, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission EHCR said the cuts will "exacerbate, rather than reduce, existing inequalities" in addtion to disproportinately affecting disabled people.

"The Commission welcomes the aim of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill to encourage and help more people to work, where they are able to," it said. "However, we have concerns that some of the measures in the Bill could exacerbate, rather than reduce, existing inequalities and that they may undermine progress towards fulfilment of the UK's obligations under national and international human rights law.

"The Commission has already raised its concerns that the impact assessments and human rights memorandum which accompany the Bill do not fully assess the effect of the Bill on equality and human rights."

On Wednesday, the Welfare Reform and Work Bill returns to the Commons where MPs will again vote on the cuts - and Mr Duncan Smith has urged MPs to push ahead with the proposals

In a letter to Tory MPs seen by the Daily Mirror, he wrote: "The Commons as the elected chamber must now have the final say, particularly over matters that have substantial financial implications.

"The Lords' amendments are clearly designed to prevent the Government from implementing the proposed changes. which provide savings of up to £1.3bn up to 2020-21."

Rebecca Hilsenrath, EHRC Chief Executive, wrote in a letter to Labour MP Roger Godsiff: "This makes it difficult to understand whether the changes will affect, for example, people with some types of physical disability more or less than people with particular types of poor mental health or who experience bouts of ill-health and may therefore be in and out of work.

“It is also unclear whether applying the changes to new claimants will mean they have a more significant impact on younger disabled people or new migrant workers.

"These are the kinds of matters that we might have expected a more thorough analysis to have considered."

The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned Show all 16 1 /16 The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "One case where the claimant’s wife went into premature labour and had to go to hospital. This caused the claimant to miss an appointment. No leeway given" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "It’s Christmas Day and you don’t fill in your job search evidence form to show that you’ve looked for all the new jobs that are advertised on Christmas Day. You are sanctioned. Merry Christmas" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "You apply for three jobs one week and three jobs the following Sunday and Monday. Because the job centre week starts on a Tuesday it treats this as applying for six jobs in one week and none the following week. You are sanctioned for 13 weeks for failing to apply for three jobs each week" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A London man missed his Jobcentre appointments for two weeks because he was in hospital after being hit by a car. He was sanctioned" 2011 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "You’ve been unemployed for seven months and are forced onto a workfare scheme in a shop miles away, but can’t afford to travel. You offer to work in a nearer branch but are refused and get sanctioned for not attending your placement" 2013 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "You are a mum of two, and are five minutes late for your job centre appointment. You show the advisor the clock on your phone, which is running late. You are sanctioned for a month" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man with heart problems who was on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) had a heart attack during a work capability assessment. He was then sanctioned for failing to complete the assessment" Rex The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man who had gotten a job that was scheduled to begin in two weeks’ time was sanctioned for not looking for work as he waited for the role to start" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Army veteran Stephen Taylor, 60, whose Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) was stopped after he sold poppies in memory of fallen soldiers" 2014 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man had to miss his regular appointment at the job centre to attend his father’s funeral. He was sanctioned even though he told DWP staff in advance" 2014 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Ceri Padley, 26, had her benefits sanctioned after she missed an appointment at the jobcentre - because she was at a job interview" Jason Doiy Photography The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man got sanctioned for missing his slot to sign on - as he was attending a work programme interview. He was then sanctioned as he could not afford to travel for his job search" 2012 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Mother-of-three Angie Godwin, 27, said her benefits were sanctioned after she applied for a role job centre staff said was beyond her" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Sofya Harrison was sanctioned for attending a job interview and moving her signing-on to another day" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Michael, 54, had his benefits sanctioned for four months for failing to undertake a week’s work experience at a charity shop. The charity shop had told him they didn’t want him there" Getty The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Terry Eaton, 58, was sanctioned because he didn’t have the bus fare he needed to attend an appointment with the job centre" Getty Images

The latest benefit reductions would affect new claimants in the work-related activity group (Wrag) who are declared too ill to work but well enough to undergo work-related interviews or training from April 2017.

The cuts are projected to save £1.4 billion over four years and would reduce Wrag members weekly unemployed benefits from £102.15 to £73.10.

A DWP spokesperson said: "The current system needs reform because it fails to provide the right incentives to work, and acts to trap people on welfare.

"We are committed to ensuring that people have the best support possible, and that is what these changes are about.