Government cabinet member Iain Duncan-Smith has been accused of dodging angry anti-cuts protesters after pulling out of a visit to Smethwick Jobcentre.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union rounded on the Work and Pensions Secretary after his scheduled visit to the jobcentre was called off last Thursday.

The union had warned that members would stage a protest at Governent cutbacks to coincide with Mr Duncan Smith’s visit.

They targeted the minister after he claimed he could survive on £53 a week “if he had to” in a huge row over benefit cutbacks.

He said in a radio interview: “I have been unemployed twice in my life so I have already done that.

“I know what it is like to live on the breadline.”

But Andrew Lloyd, Midlands Regional Secretary for the PCS, said: “Mr Duncan Smith avoided being confronted by protesters.

“Instead of seeing the Smethwick protesters he was sneaked into the Child Support Agency in Dudley without virtually any staff.

“Staff at Smethwick had been told that Mr Duncan Smith was visiting to thank them for being a high-performing office because of the number of benefit claimants it gets off benefits.

"As well as ducking the Smethwick protesters, Mr Duncan Smith is developing a habit of ducking issues.

"Recently nearly half a million people signed an online petition asking him to live on £53 a week for a year, in response to his claim that he could live on benefits.”

Mr Lloyd said Jobcentre workers had threatened to tear up £25 Marks and Spencer vouchers received for getting claimants off benefits as part of a DWP ‘carrot and stick’ approach.

He said: “The carrot is a small one and a number of PCS members from Smethwick were considering tearing up their vouchers in front of IDS to show their feelings over the matter.”

Mr Duncan Smith’s Parliamentary office failed to respond to requests for a comment.