Minister and maritime boss accused of misleading MPs over plan to stop coastguard officers’ pay

Keir Mather and Virginia McVea’s claims follow decision by Maritime and Coastguard Agency to reject worker status of coastguard rescue officers

A government minister and a senior official have been accused of misleading MPs over their plans to strip coastguard officers of their hourly pay.

Keir Mather, the maritime minister, was said to have made false claims on Wednesday, while Virginia McVea, the chief executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), was accused of having done so during a meeting with MPs a week earlier.