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Eduin Latimer, an IFS senior research economist, agrees.

But while there are some plausible explanations for the rise in Pip claimants, Mr Latimer says "we don't really know the answer".

Employees at the breakfast cereal company will stage protests outside the firm's Burton Latimer and Corby sites, both in Northamptonshire, from 29 April.

"Reducing award amounts is the easiest way to get savings in the short term," says Eduin Latimer of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

"It is not yet known what factors are driving this increase," says Eduin Latimer of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.