Iain Duncan Smith believes that there is a “moral imperative” for his welfare reforms as he seeks to convince Catholic thinkers of the need for change.

The Work and Pensions Secretary, a Roman Catholic, made the comment in a pamphlet on welfare reform which was published days after criticisms by the Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, who leads the church in England.

In the journal for the think-tank Theos, which includes contributions from Labour figures such as Frank Field and Stephen Timms, he said: “Spanning widely divergent ideas about what welfare is, what it should do and who should be providing this volume makes for interesting reading. Importantly it has at its heart a concept of welfare that is far broader than the institution itself.

Read the article at thetimes.co.uk