News
28/11/24
Christine Jardine MP addresses the Prime Minister's decision to decline meeting request from WW2 veteran Anne Puckridge
31/10/24
The End Frozen Pensions Campaign reacts to Autumn Budget omission
John Duguid, spokesperson for the End Frozen Pensions Campaign, commented:
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"This Budget does nothing to help the nearly half a million overseas UK state pensioners consistently denied all of the annual increases in the state pension despite paying all their National Insurance dues. One such pensioner is soon to be 100 year old WW2 veteran Anne Puckridge who is making the 4,400 mile journey from her home in Canada in December to lobby MPs and challenge the Prime Minister to a meeting. Anne receives only half of the current value of the UK state pension. Many more of the half a million are much worse off. Given the lack of help on this issue in today’s Budget, we are hopeful that the Prime Minister will be even more inclined do the right thing and agree to meet Anne".
18/11/24
Change.org petition reaches 100,000 signatures
16/11/24
Dame Joanna Lumley adds her support to Anne Puckridge and the End Frozen Pensions Campaign
Dame Joanna Lumley adds her voice in support of Anne Puckridge and the 453,000 British pensioners overseas who are affected by the frozen pensions policy. She says:​
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"The Prime Minister is a decent and honourable man. That's why I'm hopeful that he will push back against the raft of 'whys and wherefores' that dry officialdom will no doubt put before him urging to avoid meeting Anne when she makes her epic journey in December. Surely there's no powerful way of demonstrating that he recognises her service, and those she represents, than to grant her a few minutes of his precious time."
22/10/24
The End Frozen Pensions Campaign campaigner Edwina Melville-Gray and Neil Duncan-Jordan MP hand in joint UK-Canada Open Letter to Downing Street signed by 150 Parliamentarians
22/10/24
The End Frozen Pensions Campaign hosts campaign event in Parliament with campaigner Edwina Melville-Gray and Canadian Deputy High Commissioner Robert Fry in attendance
11/10/24
The End Frozen Pensions Campaign launch a new petition
The End Frozen Pensions Campaign has launched a new petition on Change.org calling on the Prime Minister to meet with decorated World War Two Veteran Anne Puckridge during her visit to the UK in December, just days before her 100th Birthday. Written by Anne's daughter Gillian, she urges the British public to encourage the Prime Minister to at least meet with her mother out of respect for her great age, wartime service and dedication to fighting for the 453,000 affected pensioners of the frozen pension scandal.
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Please sign and share this petition with your family and friends, it will only take a few short minutes to add your signature!
19/07/24
Launch of Overseas Voting Experience Survey
The campaign has launched the overseas voting experience survey, examining overseas constituents personal experiences registering to vote, following amendments to voter registration and introduction of the '15-year rule'.
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If you would like to take part in our survey, please click here.
17/10/24
Christine Jardine MP asks the Government if they will meet with WW2 veteran Anne Puckridge during her visit to the UK, just before her 100th birthday.
01/10/24
End Frozen Pensions branches in Canada and Australia protested on International Day of Older Persons
17/07/24
End Frozen Pensions reaction to the King's Speech
"We represent the nearly half a million UK state pensioners who are denied the yearly inflationary rises in the UK state pension because they moved, often in later life, to certain overseas countries such as Canada and Australia. These are the victims of the long running so-called ‘frozen pensions’ policy. As a result, many are condemned to financial hardship and suffering, with half of ‘frozen’ pensioners receiving a pension of just £65 per week or less. In a very real sense, they are Britain’s forgotten and neglected pensioners. We renew our call that the pension review and potential reforms referenced in today’s speech must address this scandal”.
05/07/24
Congratulations to Liz Kendall on being appointed as the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
John Duguid, Chair of the International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP), commented:
“On behalf of the End Frozen Pensions campaign, I would like to congratulate Ms Kendall on her appointment as the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Amongst her many immediate priorities, we hope that she will grasp the opportunity to step above her many predecessors by firmly addressing the longstanding and ongoing scandal of 'frozen pensions', that deprives nearly half a million overseas Britons of a fair retirement.
Barred from annual increases to the UK State Pension, overseas 'frozen' British pensioners face increasing financial hardship and growing disenfranchisement owing to this cruel and unjustifiable policy that is simply an accident of history.
This newly elected Government has an opportunity to approach the matter differently and do right by this forgotten group of citizens, who have done right by their country through their many years of service and contribution. During this election campaign, we welcomed Labour's manifesto commitment to review the pensions landscape. It remains our sincere hope that the Secretary of State will honour this commitment and ensure that it includes the growing and longstanding scandal of frozen overseas pensions.”
14/06/24
BPiA response to the Labour Party's failure to commit to End Frozen Pensions
Patrick Edwards, President of British Pensioners in Australia (BPiA), commented:
“With over 200,000 British frozen pensioners residing in Australia alone, the sheer numbers affected by the cruel ‘frozen pensions’ policy, depriving hard working Britons from a fair retirement, warranted a place in Labour’s future plans in Government.
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We no longer burden the NHS and other key services in retirement, whilst a commitment to ending this policy for all ‘frozen’ pensioners worldwide would cost less than £60m a year, a drop in the ocean of our total state pension spending.
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We are desperate to participate in this election, yet we have once again been given little political will in return."
13/06/24
Response to the Labour Party's failure to commit to End Frozen Pensions
Edwina Melville-Gray, spokes person for the International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP), commented:
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"While we commend the Labour commitment to review the pensions landscape and improve pensions outcomes, today’s announcement remains a missed opportunity to address the longstanding ‘frozen pensions’ scandal.
Half a million disenfranchised, forgotten overseas pensioners are looking for a political home in the first election in decades that many can now vote in since the change to overseas voting rules. Excluded from the yearly state pension increases and forced into financial hardship as a result, many are led to cutting down on food, medicine and other essentials, and still await a full recognition of their ongoing suffering.
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Labour backed an end to this cruel policy in 2019. It is disappointing that this ‘Government in waiting’ has made no such pledge today. We sincerely hope that Labour will stand up to its commitments, and conducts a full review of the state pension to include addressing this deeply harmful, purely arbitrary policy."
12/06/24
Response to the Conservatives' failure to commit to End Frozen Pensions in General Election manifesto
Edwina Melville-Gray, spokes person for the International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP), commented:
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"For less than £50 million the Prime Minister and his Conservative Party could have ended this long running scandal that condemns many of the nearly half a million affected overseas UK State Pensioners condemned to poverty. Some of those affected are receiving a UK state pension as little as £20 per week. It seems politically bizarre not to have done so.
Many of the overseas pensioners can vote for the first time due to the recent changes in the overseas voting rules introduced by his Government. Whilst the decision on who to vote for is rightly an individual and private matter, it surely can’t be lost on the Prime Minister and his advisers that many of our members are desperate to vote for Parties committing to address this injustice.
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And it seems particularly tone deaf to be trumpeting the creation of a Minister for Overseas Britons whilst ignoring the biggest political and financial issue for half a million of them. We renew our appeal to the Conservatives to put this right."
10/06/24
Response to the Liberal Democrats General Election manifesto and lack of address to End Frozen Pensions
Edwina Melville-Gray, spokes person for the International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP), commented:
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"We are deeply disappointed by the lack of commitment in the Liberal Democrat manifesto, towards ending ‘frozen’ pensions and the longstanding injustice dealt to nearly half a million British pensioners living overseas.
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Despite this Party’s previous support on this issue, we are faced once again with empty promises and a political party unwilling to stand up for this key, yet further forgotten, group."