Iain Duncan Smith ridiculed over '£53 a week' claim

Minister branded 'smug' and urged to prove he could live on minimum amount paid to benefits claimants

British Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith exits a vehicle in London on February 11, 2013. AFP PHOTO / JUSTIN TALLIS(Photo credit should read JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty I
(Image credit: 2013 AFP)

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since this story was published, Greg Clark, a junior Treasury minister, has tried to 'soothe the situation' by saying that living on £53 a week was far from easy.

MORE than 130,000 people have signed an on-line petition calling on Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith to prove his assertion that he could live on £53 a week.

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