MPs on the Treasury Committee put the financial secretary under pressure at a hearing about tax reliefs which kicked off with tough questions about HMRC service failures and Making Tax Digital

Committee chair Harriet Baldwin launched the hearing with criticism of HMRC’s decision to close the self assessment helpline over the summer, saying that the move had upset constituents.

She asked Victoria Atkins, financial secretary to the Treasury, to explain why she took the decision and gave taxpayers such short notice about the closure.