Rishi Sunak has again refused to commit to raising benefits and the state pension in line with inflation.
The Prime Minister was today reminded by SNP Westminster Ian Blackford that he had previously pledged in May to raise benefits when he was still serving as chancellor.
Inflation is currently running at a 40-year high and many Scots households are struggling to make ends meet.
Jeremy Hunt, who replaced the disastrous Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor earlier this month, is due to make an autumn financial statement on November 17 where he is expected to announce a range of spending cuts and tax rises.
The UK Government is under pressure to protect public services by imposing a fresh windfall tax on energy companies after BP this week announced it had made £7.1 billion in profits in just three months.
Speaking at PMQs today, Blackford said: "The Prime Minister has repeatedly refused to say if he would keep the promise that he made only five months ago.
"People don't need to hear more spin about compassionate Conservatism. People just need a straightforward answer to a simple question - will he keep his promise and lift benefits and pensions in line with inflation?"
Sunak responded: "We do have an excellent new Chancellor and I'm looking forward to his autumn statement in a couple of weeks. It wouldn't be right to comment on individual policy measures before then.
"But I think everyone knows we face a challenging economic outlook and difficult decisions will need to be made.
"What I would say, we will always - as my track record as chancellor demonstrates - have fairness and compassion at the heart of everything we do."
Blackford said it was the "second week running" where Sunak had failed to give "a straight answer to the most vulnerable that require support".
He added: "The Prime Minister keeps telling us that difficult decisions need to be made but Austerity 2.0 isn't a difficult decision - it's a Tory political choice that hits the poorest hardest.
"In the week that BP recorded a quarterly profit of £7.1 billion, why not take the easy decision and bring in a proper windfall tax, why not take the easy decision and reinstate the cap on bankers' bonuses?
"And with all that new revenue, why not take the easiest decision of all and increase benefits and pensions in line with inflation?"
Sunak claimed his party and the SNP differed as "we believe our North Sea producers do have an important role to play in our transition to net zero".
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