Tory diehard Iain Duncan Smith has turned his wrath on those trying to pick up the pieces of his vicious attacks on the welfare state, accusing a leading foodbank charity of "scaremongering."

The Work and Pensions Secretary - who caused uproar last week when he was caught sneaking out of an opposition debate on foodbanks - has repeatedly refused to meet leaders of the Trussell Trust, the Observer claimed yesterday.

The blinkered minister denied that the rocketing number of people turning to foodbanks had anything to do with his ideological assault on benefits.

Since April more than 500,000 people - a third of them children - have received emergency supplies from the 400 foodbanks run by the charity and it has asked on a number of occasions for meetings with Department for Work and Pensions ministers.

But Mr Duncan Smith criticised the "political messaging of your organisation," which "despite claiming to be non-partisan" had "repeatedly sought to link the growth in your network to welfare reform."

He wrote: "I understand that a feature of your business model must require you to continuously achieve publicity, but I'm concerned that you are now seeking to do this by making your political opposition to welfare reform overtly clear."

Welfare Reform Minister Lord Freud also turned down a request.

Trust chairman Chris Mould responded: "We are deeply disappointed, but we are as open as ever to meet ministers in the hope that perhaps the new year will bring a fresh approach to what could so easily have been a fruitful dialogue."