MP Iain Duncan Smith said he has "sympathy" with cleaners in his government department who have asked for his support in their fight for better wages.

Duncan Smith is aiming to encourage people into work rather than claiming benefits, but workers in the Department of Work and Pensions insist their pay is too low to live on.

A letter signed by 64 staff was left on the Secretary of State's desk last month which asked that they be paid the London Living Wage, which is worth £2 an hour more than their current average wage of £6.08 per hour.

The letter explained the staff felt their wages led to stress over money problems and long journeys into work as they could not afford to live in or close to central London.

Now the Chingford MP has told the Guardian the government is examining its contracts with companies such as Mitie, which employs the cleaners, to find a solution to the issue.

He said: "I certainly have sympathy with them and have written to them to explain the situation.

"To employ workers like cleaners we have contracts with agencies. We are looking at these contracts and think we need to find a solution as a government to see if there are other ways of funding the services."