LIZ Truss is no longer standing by her commitment to increase state pensions in line with soaring inflation as her imperilled leadership is overhauled by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

Downing Street indicated ministers could ditch their commitment to the triple lock as the new Chancellor brought in to save her ailing leadership searches to plug a multi-billion pound black hole.

Hunt told colleagues at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that they must find savings from their departmental budgets.

READ MORE: Tory MSP sends warning to Liz Truss ahead of crunch ERG meeting

As recently as October 2, Truss was clear state pensions would increase in April by whichever is highest – 2.5%, wages or inflation.

“I’ve committed to the triple lock. Yes,” she said in a BBC interview.

But, after replacing Kwasi Kwarteng in the Treasury after their disastrous mini-budget, Downing Street backed down on this pledge.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We are very aware of how many vulnerable pensioners there are and indeed our priority ahead of this fiscal plan is we continue to protect the most vulnerable in society.

“The Prime Minister and the Chancellor are not making any commitments on individual policy areas at this point, but as I say the decisions will be made through the prism of what matters most to the most vulnerable.”

The spokesman did, however, stand by the commitment of increasing defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030.

In the Commons on Monday, Hunt did not rule out the triple lock being suspended as he refused to make any commitments on “individual policy areas”.

Around 12.5 million people who receive the state pension could be dealt a real-terms cut in earnings if their payments do not rise in line with inflation, standing at around 10%.

On Wednesday, the Office for National Statistics will publish the Consumer Price Index measure of inflation, on which changes to benefits and pension payments are calculated.

Commenting on Truss backing down on the pensions triple lock pledge, the SNP’s shadow work and pensions secretary, Kirsty Blackman, said: “In 2014 pensioners in Scotland were told the only way they could protect their pensions was with a No vote, 8 years on and now every pension in the country is under threat with the Tories’ disgraceful U-turn on the triple lock.

"It has become crystal clear that only independence can protect pensioners from the callousness of this Conservative Party and Tory Austerity 2.0."

She went on to say that the development was a "sweeping betrayal" to over 12 million pensioners who were guaranteed in the Tories' manifesto to see a continuation of the triple lock in this parliamentary term.

She added: “Under the Westminster Tories, UK pensioners already receive one of the lowest pensions in all of north west Europe by comparison with the average wage.

“It’s glaringly obvious that Westminster does not serve the interests of pensioners in Scotland and that the full powers of independence are needed to deliver fairness and dignity for our elderly.”