WORK and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey has apologised after she “inadvertently misled” parliament about problems with Universal Credit

Ms McVey came to the Commons after Auditor General Sir Amyas Morse publicly rebuked her over her response to a National Audit Office report on the benefit’s roll-out

Sir Amyas said parts of her statement to MSPs on Monday  were incorrect and unproven.

He also said it was “odd” that she told MPs that the NAO report did not take into account the impact of recent changes to Universal Credit, when it had been "fully agreed" by senior officials at the Department for Work and Pensions only days before.

Ms McVey, a former TV presenter who became an in 2010, had been facing calls to quit.

However she appeared at the despatch box immediately after PMQs to apologise and issue a correction, and said she had arranged to do so with the speaker on Tuesday night.

She said: “I mistakenly said that the NAO had asked for the rollout of Universal Credit to continue at a faster rate and to be speeded up. In fact, the NAO did not say that."

“What I meant to say was that the NAO had said that there was no practical alternative to continuing with Universal Credit.”

But she stood by her claim that the NAO had not been able to examine the impact of recent changes.

"The impact of these changes are still being felt and therefore, by definition, couldn't have been fully taken into account by the NAO report," she told MPs.

Last month’s NAO report highlighted the hardship caused by Universal Credit delays.

It concluded the new system - being gradually introduced to replace six existing benefits - was “not value for money now, and that its future value for money is unproven”.

However at the same time, the DWP insisted Universal Credit represented valued for money and said that “significant improvements” had recently been made to its roll-out.

In the House of Commons on July 2, Ms McVey told MPs it was “unfortunate that the NAO was unable to take into account the significant changes recently implemented in Universal Credit” which addressed “many of the concerns” raised in its report.

In spite of the report recommending the roll-out be paused until it was clear it could cope with additional claimants, Ms McVey said that the NAO had actually expressed concern that UC was “rolling out too slowly” and should “continue at a faster rate”.

She was accused at the time of being in “absolute denial” about the scale of the problems, which include a fifth of claimants not being paid on time, and some driven to foodbanks.

In his letter to Ms McVey, Sir Amyas said: "Our report was fully agreed with senior officials in your Department. It is based on the most accurate and up-to-date information from your Department. Your Department confirmed this to me in writing on Wednesday June 6.

"It is odd that by June 15 you felt able to say that the NAO 'did not take into account the impact of our recent changes'. You reiterated these statements on July 2 but we have seen no evidence of such impacts nor fresh information."

Sir Amyas added: "Your statement on July 2 that the NAO was concerned Universal Credit is currently 'rolling out too slowly' and needs to 'continue at a faster rate' is also not correct."

"Your statement in response to my report, claiming that Universal Credit is working, has not been proven.

"The Department has not measured how many Universal Credit claimants are having difficulties and hardship. What we do know from the Department's surveys is that although 83% of claimants responding said they were satisfied with the Department's customer service, 40% of them said they were experiencing financial difficulties and 25% said they couldn't make an online claim.

"We also know that 20% of claimants are not paid in full on time and that the Department cannot measure the exact number of additional people in employment as a result of Universal Credit."

The Auditor General said that he had written to Ms McVey on June 27 asking for a meeting to discuss her comments, and was publishing his open letter "reluctantly" because he had not yet been able to see her.

On Twitter, Green MP Caroline Lucas said matters had “reached a new low when the National Audit Office accuses a Cabinet Minister of lying”.

She went on: “Universal Credit is failing, and if Esther McVey is not up to the job of sorting it out - as seems to be the case - then she has to go.”

A Downing Street source said Theresa May continued to have full confidence in Ms McVey.