Frank Field, the newly re-elected chairman of parliament’s Work and Pensions Committee, has begun asking questions about the £12.6bn deficit in the UK’s £60bn universities pension fund.

While other MPs are on their holidays, he has fired off letters to the pension fund's chairman, the Pensions Regulator and the president of the UK's university trade body, challenging them over the deterioration of the Universities Superannuation Scheme's finances. All have said they will respond.