Conservative MP Michael Fabricant has called on chancellor Rishi Sunak to immediately raise benefits in line with inflation after he paid a visit to his local food bank.

The veteran backbencher – a loyal ally of Boris Johnson – said he had decided that families struggling with the cost of living crisis could use some extra help from the government.

“People on the breadline cannot afford to wait until later this year,” said Mr Fabricant in a post on his website after a visit to a food bank in his Litchfield constituency.