Sajid Javid has piled fresh pressure on embattled Prime Minister Liz Truss to abandon plans for a real terms cut to benefits.
The Tory former Chancellor argued that benefits "must stay in line with inflation" - as promised by previous PM Boris Johnson - rather than the lower level of average earnings.
Failure to hike benefits in line with inflation would amount to a real terms cut for some 5.6 million Universal Credit claimants in April.