Iain Duncan Smith has launched an attack on the Sunday Express crusade to save Remploy jobs

In a heartless outburst, the Work and Pensions Secretary said he wanted to save money by closing factories and getting more people into “proper jobs”.

The shameless snub came on the day the Tories were battered at the ballot box in elections across the UK.

He delivered it in a face-to-face confrontation as we delivered more than 15,000 “Save Remploy” signed protests from our readers. Editor Martin Townsend, political editor Kirsty Buchanan, Remploy worker Mark Holloway and administrator Julie Haynes from the Barking factory were waiting in the lobby when Mr Duncan Smith strode through with his wife Betsy.

Seizing the opportunity, we urged him to rethink plans that will leave 1,518 disabled workers out of work with little prospect of new jobs at a time when unemployment is at a 17-year high of 2.7million.

An irate Mr Duncan Smith was unapologetic, however.