Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to increase State Pensions for nearly half a million Brits living in retirement overseas who miss out on the annual Triple Lock uprating. A representative of the ‘ End Frozen Pensions campaign’ hand-delivered a letter to Downing Street on Tuesday, signed by more than 150 MPs from the UK and Canada including Canada’s Pensions Minister, the Minister of Labour and Seniors Steve MacKinnon.
The letter calls on the Prime Minister to urgently address the ‘scandal’ of frozen State Pensions which affect around 453,000 retirees living in a country which does not have a reciprocal agreement with the UK, this includes over 100,000 older people in Canada. The policy also affects UK pensioners living in Australia, New Zealand and most other Commonwealth countries.
Many retirees now living in countries which do no have a reciprocal agreement with the UK have seen their State Pension frozen at the point of emigration. This is despite having worked and lived in the UK for most of their lives and paid their quota of National Insurance Contributions, which would entitle them to State Pension payments – if they had not relocated.
You need at least 10 years’ worth of National Insurance Contributions to be eligible to claim the State Pensions and around 35 years for the full amount, although this may be more if you have been ‘contracted out’.
Campaigners say that many ‘frozen’ pensioners are in poverty, receiving an average of just £65 per week or less, in stark contrast to the current UK Basic State Pension of £169.50. The End Frozen Pensions campaign says that the ‘vast majority’ of people were not told of the policy before they moved, often to be nearer to family in later life.
Chair of End Frozen Pensions Canada, Edwina Melville-Gray travelled to London from Canada to speak to MPs in Westminster on Tuesday about the impact the policy is having on many expats. The special parliamentary event was also attended by the Canadian Deputy High Commissioner Robert Fry, who briefed MPs on the current Canadian Government stance.
Following the event, Ms Melville-Gray delivered the letter to the Prime Minister on behalf of a total of 158 parliamentarians who signed the open letter, calling for urgent action in support of those affected by the longstanding UK policy.
The campaigner said: “Today highlights a resounding show of support from politicians across both countries, from all parties, supporting the campaign’s call on the Prime Minister that it is time to put an end to this illogical, outdated, and discriminatory policy that has no place in our political system.
“More than a hundred Canadian politicians, including ministers, have backed the call that has received cross-party support in the UK, too. It is a sure sign that the political appetite is there to finally confine this outdated policy to the history books.”
Among those affected by the policy is 99-year-old World War Two veteran Anne Puckridge, who moved to Canada in 2001 at the age of 76 to be nearer to her daughter in retirement. As a WW2 veteran, Anne has served in all three branches of the armed services. Now in her 100th year, she is leading the fight for justice for British pensioners living overseas who are denied the yearly increases to the UK State Pension.
Despite having spent her working life in the UK and made all her National Insurance Contributions, Anne receives just £72.50 per week, less than half the £169.50 she would receive if she lived in the UK.
Like many in her situation, she was not told that her State Pension would be ‘frozen’ in this way when she moved abroad.
This December, she will travel 7,000 km to the UK for the sole purpose of requesting a meeting with the Prime Minister on behalf of all victims of the Frozen Pensions scandal.
An online petition set up by Anne’s daughter “Prime Minister, Meet With My 99-Year-Old WW2 Veteran Mum Fighting To End ‘Frozen Pensions’” has already received more than 34,300 signatures of support.
Campaigners say the policy has been especially damaging to UK-Canada relations. The Canadian has been calling on a resolution to this issue for more than 40 years, and has at least four formal requests to negotiate a new reciprocal agreement to end the policy.
In contrast, the Canadian Government grants its citizens a fully indexed State Pension regardless of location, including to those living in the UK.
State Pension payments 2025/26
Millions of people over State Pension age will see their weekly payments rise by 4.1 per cent next April under the Triple Lock.
Under the Triple Lock the New and Basic State Pensions increase each year in-line with whichever is the highest between the average annual earnings growth from May to July (4.1%), Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate in the year to September (1.7%), or 2.5 per cent.
Under the earnings growth element of the Triple Lock (4.1%), people on the full New State Pension will see payments rise by £9.10 per week from £221.20 to £230.30 and as the payment is typically made every four weeks this amounts to £921.20.
This will see annual payments rise by £473.60 from £11,502 to £11,975.60 over the 2025/26 financial year.
Similarly, someone on the full Basic State Pension will see weekly payments rise by £6.95 per week from £169.50 to £176.45, or £705.80 every four-week payment period.
Annual payments will rise by £361.40 from £8,814 to £9,175.40 over the 2025/26 financial year.
The new State Pension rates won’t officially be confirmed until the Autumn Budget on October 30, but the Labour Government has pledged to honour the Triple Lock for the next five years.