New data shows overseas pension fix costs 94% less than official estimates
Fresh calculations reveal that fixing frozen state pensions for half-a-million UK expats would cost just £55m next year‚ not £930m. The discovery comes from recent government data obtained through FOI request
The cost to fix UKʼs frozen pension system is way-lower than previously thought according to fresh govt data. Around 500k British ex-pats dont receive yearly pension increases‚ which affects their day-to-day life in countries like Canada and Australia
Some nations have special deals with Britain that protect retirees from inflation but many popular retirement spots lack such agreements. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) data shows that applying next years 4.1% increase would cost £55m – not £930m as stated in last years estimates
For decades successive governments have said ending this injustice would cost almost £1bn and increase annually. They have willfully and persistently misrepresented what we are asking for
The campaign group got these numbers through an info request; they show a huge difference between full back-dated payments and future increases. A 99-year old veteran Anne Puckridge who moved to Canada about 20 years ago (and lost roughly £50k in pension money) plans to visit Britain next month to discuss this with the Prime Minister
The triple-lock system normally ensures pensions go up by:
- 2.5% minimum
- inflation rate
- wage growth rate
A govt spokesperson defended the original figures saying that “these figures highlight the cost of a partial uprating only“ and complete unfreezing would still need about £1bn
