Archive - 2021 | International Consortium of British Pensioners Campaign to unfreeze pensions

…which is the worst in the developed world in terms of its value verses average wages. It ranks bottom in a list of countries compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), paying out just 29% of the average wage

9-Mar-21 – The Independant: The gender pay gap is bad but the gender pensions gap is far worse

9-Mar-21 – Canadian House of Commons: Gord Johns (Con) and John Mackay (Lib) support Motion by Paul Manly

9-Mar-21 – Canadian House of Commons: Paul Manly, MP, Motion on Frozen UK Pensions carried in the House of Commons

9-Mar-21 – The Express: State Pension forecast: How much State Pension will I get? How to find out

9-Mar-21 – Glamour Money Matters: Millennial women could face ‘retirement poverty’ due to the gender pay gap (and need to work 37 years longer to catch up with men)

9-Mar-21 – This is Money: Women who divorced in retirement urged to check state pensions

8-Mar-21 – The Express: State Pension blunder: 200,000 people owed money – are you one? How to check

8-Mar-21 – Labour List: 92% of net savings to Treasury since 2010 shouldered by women, says Whittome

8-Mar-21 – Business Matters: 200,000 UK women in line for pension back-payments averaging £13,500

8-Mar-21 – The Express: State pension: DWP addresses frozen pensions as World War 2 pilot gets just £46.90 a week

8-Mar-21 – House of Commons: Craig Whittaker (Con) also asks the DWP Chief the same question

8-Mar-21 – House of Commons: EDM 1600 – Uprating of state pensions

8-Mar-21 – House of Commons: David Linden (SNP) asks the DWP chief when she will respond to the Canadian Embassy

22-Feb-21 – Canadian Parliament: Opposition Member asks Minister if she has spoken with the CABP

13-Feb-21 – Daily Telegraph: ‘We’ve been left with nothing’: Windrush families suffer pensions freeze

9-Feb-21 – House of Commons: MPs speak out on frozen British Pensions

8-Feb-21 – House of Commons Briefing Note: Overseas British Pensions (SN01457)

3-Feb-21 – The Senior (Australia): Significant distress: Pensioners plunged into poverty by morally wrong policy

30-Jan-21 – The Telegraph: New hope for 500k ‘frozen pensioners’

27-Jan-21 – House of Commons: Peter Dowd, MP, raises Frozen Pensions at PMQs

18-Jan-21 – House of Commons: Question (134521) for Department for Work and Pensions

Chris Elmore (Lab): “To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she last discussed a reciprocal social security agreement with the Government of Canada?”.

Guy Opperman (Con)(Minister of Pensions): “The Department for Work and Pensions has not had any recent discussions on this issue with the Government of Canada. The Department plans to respond shortly to the request from Canada for a reciprocal social security agreement.”

18-Jan-21 – House of Commons: Question (134520) for Department for Work and Pensions

Chris Elmore (Lab): “To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has responded to the Canadian Government’s request for a reciprocal social security arrangement covering uprating; and if she will make a statement?”

Guy Opperman (Con)(Minister of Pensions): “The Department for Work and Pensions has not had any recent discussions on this issue with the Government of Canada. The Department plans to respond shortly to the request from Canada for a reciprocal social security agreement”.

15-Jan-21 – House of Commons: Question for Department for Work and Pensions

12-Jan-21 – Daily Express: State pension UK: DWP urged to simplify the old and new payment system

12-Jan-21 – New European: Brexit changes lead to exodus of Brits from Spain, UK nationals claim

11-Jan-21 – Actuarial Post: Do we need a final round of state pension simplification

11-Jan-21 – Daily Express: State pension UK: Payments can be boosted after being claimed – deferment rules explained

11-Jan-21 – Majorca Daily Bulletin: “Brexpats”, forgotten by the UK government

Anne Hernández, president of the Brexpats in Spain association, says that British residents feel “forgotten” by the UK government. It is a sense of abandonment which concerns residents most.

…..the half a million British pensioners living in the EU continue to receive free healthcare and an uprated UK state pension…..meanwhile there are another half a million British pensioners living in predominantly Commonwealth countries who have to pay for their own healthcare, and they do not receive the uprated UK state pension – we are the “forgotten” UK pensioners who have been “abandoned”…

8-Jan-21 – Daily Express: Boris Johnson boost: Brexit deal narrowly dodged expats from EU overwhelming NHS

7-Jan-21 – Actuarial Post: Brexit deal saves state pension increases

“But had no deal been struck, this might not have been the case for those moving abroad and retiring in future. The loss of inflation protection on a full state pension could have cost overseas pensioners around £138,700. It was only on New Year’s Eve that the UK Government updated its guidance to confirm the same increases would apply to those moving to the EEA or Switzerland in future.”

7-Jan-21 – Daily Express: State pension: Victory for expats as they win £140k pension promise EACH

“BRITISH OAPs living abroad have been guaranteed state pension rises – likely to be worth about £140,000 over a 20-year retirement. The move, confirmed on New Year’s Eve, removes the threat of “frozen” pensions for older people wishing to retire in the sunshine…

….so, where is the cash for those pensioners who are living in “frozen” countries? If you are one of these pensioners, write to your last UK MP – they can be accessed here. Write to them today…

6-Jan-21 – Interactive Investor: Future British expats to get state pension boost

6-Jan-21 – International Adviser: Pension increases protected for Brits in the EU

…the last-minute deal has now secured pension uprating for British expats living in the 27 member states and Switzerland, avoiding missing out on nearly £140,000 ($188,784, €155,026) over the life of the pension, research by Aegon found.

…so, when do we get our last-minute deal for the uprating of our state pension?

6-Jan-21 – iPolitics: British citizens in Canada ask government for help in pension fight

“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday about a wide range of issues that did not include ending Britain’s frozen-pension policy, which is affecting Britons living in Canada….

….this shows just how big a mountain we have to climb….

6-Jan-21 – PensionsAge: Govt has no plans to change ‘frozen’ expat state pension policy

Baroness Stedman-Scott (House of Lords Pensions Minister) in a response to a Written Question from Lord Jones:

“The UK state pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions. It is uprated where there is a legal requirement to do so, for example, where recipients are living in countries where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for uprating. The government has no plans to change the policy on uprating UK state pensions overseas; the policy is longstanding and has been supported by successive governments for over 70 years. The government understands that people move abroad for many reasons and that this can have an impact on their finances. However, the decision to move abroad remains a personal choice. Advice that the UK state pension is not uprated overseas except where there is a legal requirement has been provided to the public for many years”.

….somebody needs to inform Baroness Stedman-Scott that bilateral agreements are not necessary in order to uprate the state pension (Freedom of Information Request 595 raised in 2013 where the DWP confirmed this). It is purely a matter of political will….

3-Jan-21 – Sunday Express: Veteran’s hope for end to ‘scandal’ of frozen pensions – ‘I’m ashamed to be British’

“This shameful policy has been allowed to continue for far too long. It is cruel and unjust to deny to half a million UK pensioners overseas the full UK state pension that they paid into during their working lives. Canada has offered a potential route to ending this injustice. The UK should welcome this opportunity to right a historic wrong and ensure every pensioner receives the full state pension they are morally entitled to regardless of where they live”

– Sir Roger Gale, Chair, APPG for Frozen British Pensions

2-Jan-21 – Daily Express: Pension news: Retirement savings at risk after Brexit deal – ‘Little choice but to sell’

“For years the client’s State Pension has been paid into a UK bank account, but now, under the new terms of the deal, he has been informed that because he’s not resident in the UK – even though he’s British by birth – his bank account will have to be shut down within 30 days”.

– Jonathan Hives, Arlo International

1-Jan-2021 – International Express: Pensions bid for expats in Australia and Canada

1-Jan-2021 – The Express: State pension payments are rising in 2021 – but half a million pensioners will miss out

1-Jan-2021 – The Express: State pension: DWP updates guidance on getting UK state pension overseas amid Brexit deal

This is the dirty side of the UK Government. The only mechanism that the Government has to uprate pensions in the EU is through (new) bilateral agreements. This is after the DWP have maintained for years that there would be no new bilateral agreements because they are too expensive. Clearly, pensioners living in “frozen” countries are being discriminated yet again. Write to your “local” MP and your UK MP asking them why new bilateral agreements have been struck now after they have maintained for many years that no new agreements would be negotiated because of the cost, and also ask them why there are no new agreements for UK pensioners living in “frozen countries”. This is discrimination – pure and simple.

01-Jan-2021 – Your Money.com: 10 tips for those retiring in 2021

Archive – 2021

…which is the worst in the developed world in terms of its value verses average wages. It ranks bottom in a list of countries compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), paying out just 29% of the average wage

Chris Elmore (Lab): “To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she last discussed a reciprocal social security agreement with the Government of Canada?”.

Guy Opperman (Con)(Minister of Pensions): “The Department for Work and Pensions has not had any recent discussions on this issue with the Government of Canada. The Department plans to respond shortly to the request from Canada for a reciprocal social security agreement.”

Chris Elmore (Lab): “To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has responded to the Canadian Government’s request for a reciprocal social security arrangement covering uprating; and if she will make a statement?”

Guy Opperman (Con)(Minister of Pensions): “The Department for Work and Pensions has not had any recent discussions on this issue with the Government of Canada. The Department plans to respond shortly to the request from Canada for a reciprocal social security agreement”.

Anne Hernández, president of the Brexpats in Spain association, says that British residents feel “forgotten” by the UK government. It is a sense of abandonment which concerns residents most.

“BRITISH OAPs living abroad have been guaranteed state pension rises – likely to be worth about £140,000 over a 20-year retirement. The move, confirmed on New Year’s Eve, removes the threat of “frozen” pensions for older people wishing to retire in the sunshine…

….so, where is the cash for those pensioners who are living in “frozen” countries? If you are one of these pensioners, write to your last UK MP – they can be accessed here. Write to them today…

…the last-minute deal has now secured pension uprating for British expats living in the 27 member states and Switzerland, avoiding missing out on nearly £140,000 ($188,784, €155,026) over the life of the pension, research by Aegon found.

…so, when do we get our last-minute deal for the uprating of our state pension?

“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday about a wide range of issues that did not include ending Britain’s frozen-pension policy, which is affecting Britons living in Canada….

….this shows just how big a mountain we have to climb….

Baroness Stedman-Scott (House of Lords Pensions Minister) in a response to a Written Question from Lord Jones:

….somebody needs to inform Baroness Stedman-Scott that bilateral agreements are not necessary in order to uprate the state pension (Freedom of Information Request 595 raised in 2013 where the DWP confirmed this). It is purely a matter of political will….

– Sir Roger Gale, Chair, APPG for Frozen British Pensions

“For years the client’s State Pension has been paid into a UK bank account, but now, under the new terms of the deal, he has been informed that because he’s not resident in the UK – even though he’s British by birth – his bank account will have to be shut down within 30 days”.

– Jonathan Hives, Arlo International