Jeremy Hunt urged not to use sharp fall in inflation to squeeze benefits

Charities say it would be indefensible to raise working-age benefits in line with CPI figure for October instead of September

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Anti-poverty charities have said it would be indefensible" for the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, to use the sharp drop in inflation last month to justify increasing working-age benefits by a smaller amount in order to save up to 2bn from the welfare bill.

It is understood that the Treasury is considering using October's consumer price index figure of 4.6% for the annual uprating in the benefits, instead of the usual September reading, which was 6.7%.