The charities have joined forces to claim the move would make it almost impossible for refugees to afford to feed and clothe their families.

Their anger centres on a shake-up by the Home Office of help given to asylum-seekers, which includes a £16 weekly cut in the cash they are allocated for looking after a child.

Ministers have argued that the previous payments were more than refugees needed to cover basic living needs, but their stance came under fire from British Red Cross, the Children’s Society, Refugee Action and the Refugee Council.

They pointed out that research has found nearly 40 per cent of asylum seekers already could not afford food for their families, and 88 per cent did not have enough money for clothes. They warned that cuts would exacerbate hardship among the most vulnerable.

Norman McKinley, the managing director of the British Red Cross, said: “These cruel cuts will plunge families into further poverty, making it agonisingly tough for parents to feed their children, and practically impossible to buy clothes and other essentials.”

The reductions mean the weekly support for a couple with two children falls from £178.44 to £147.80 and for a couple with one child from £125.48 to £110.85. The support for a single parent with two children falls from £149.86 to £110.85 and for a single parent with one child from £96.90 to £73.90.

The figures are the result of new rules under which asylum seekers of all ages are paid the same support rate and families no longer receive higher payments for each child.

Asylum-seekers have no other source of income as they are not allowed to work while their applications are being assessed, which can take years.

The cuts coincide with a separate move to end support for asylum seekers 28 days after their applications have been rejected. Read more Nigel Morris The Independent