Archive – 2020

30-Dec-20 – GOV.UK: UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement

30-Dec-20 – FT Adviser: Govt’s state pension guarantees post-Brexit

30-Dec-20 – 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 has 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 against 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. 

29-Dec-20 – This is Money: War cry for women’s pensions: Wives, widows and divorcees are still missing out… we urge them to claim their dues

29-Dec-20 – This is Money: It’s time for payback: Government didn’t do enough to allow all women to collect their rightful pensions

26-Dec-20 – Livewire Livesey Blog: Frozen British Pensions. The APPG 2020 Inquiry

26-Dec-20 – Daily Express: State pension in Europe: What will happen to payments as UK details Brexit deal with EU

23-Dec-20 – Daily Mail: British MPs rally support from Canada and Australia to end ‘disgrace’ and ‘shame’ of frozen expat pensions

23-Dec-20 – Moneyfacts.co.uk: State Pension Set To Rise In April 2021

21-Dec-20 – Daily Express: State Pension: No Deal Brexit ‘threatens future’ of State Pension triple lock

21-Dec-20 – Pensions Age: Westminster urged to address ‘frozen’ expat pensions

19-Dec-20 – This is Money: Why are some married women being underpaid state pension?

18-Dec-20 – The Express: Pension warning: Growing number of retirement aged renters putting ‘huge strain’ on income

18-Dec-20 – The Vincentian: The Plight Of Two Windrush Emigrees

18-Dec-20 – FT Adviser: Canada and Australia call for end to ‘unfair’ UK pension policy

18-Dec-20 – Daily Express: State pension: Voluntary NI contributions can boost income but limits apply

17-Dec-20 – Daily Express: State pension: Key change could bring ‘significant increase’ for Britons on older scheme

17-Dec-20 – Daily Express: Pension: GMP members who contracted out of state pensions may be owed £32k – full details

16-Dec-20 – Daily Express: State pension: Canada and Australia condemn the UK’s failure to protect overseas payments

16-Dec-20 – Daily Echoed: MPs rally support from Canada and Australia against frozen state pensions

Successive governments of differing political persuasions have sheltered behind the assertion that ‘we can only uprate pensions for UK citizens living overseas in countries with which we have a reciprocal agreement’. That is quite simply factually and morally wrong. I regard it as a disgrace and a matter of national shame that the UK has for so long denied to elderly citizens, very many of whom have proudly served our country in the armed forces or the civil service, the funds that they need to live on in old age and, sadly, sometimes in ill-health. It is past time for this injustice to be addressed and the wrong of decades righted.”

– Sir Roger Gale, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Frozen British Pensions 

16-Dec-20 – International Adviser: Australia and Canada demand end to UK ‘frozen’ pensions

The evidence demonstrates the illogical nature of government policy, favouring UK pensioners in some countries over others. The government is now continuing to refuse to uprate the UK state pensions of UK pensioners in ‘frozen’ countries, while actively pursuing new agreements with EU countries. It is clear from the evidence that the UK does not need to pursue reciprocal agreements to uprate the pensions of UK pensioners overseas in line with the triple lock each year.”

16-Dec-20 – BBC Today Program: Report on APPG 2020 Inquiry

16-Dec-20 – PR Wire: Australia condemns the UK’s failure to protect overseas payments

This report is a damning indictment of the UK Government’s approach to its pensioners living in Australia. It is unacceptable that UK pensioners are plunged into poverty by this immoral policy and the Australian Government is forced to subsidise the pensions of UK state pensioners that the UK Government refuses to pay.”

– Patrick Edwards – President of the British Pensions in Australia

16-Dec-20 – All Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Pensions (APPG): APPG report findings from their 2020 Inquiry

• The APPG received over 800 submissions of evidence

• A further survey of over 2,500 UK pensioners living overseas. 

• 86% of Frozen Pensioners were unaware that their UK state pension would be frozen once they left the UK

• A confidential survey of UK pensioners living in ‘frozen countries found that 1 in 2 ‘frozen’ pensioners are receiving £65 per week or less

• Members of the Windrush Generation, who have already experienced tremendous hardship and injustice, are also disproportionately impacted by this policy

• The governments of both Canada and Australia submitted evidence in which they confirm a readiness and willingness to work with the UK Government to end this policy

• The governments of Canada, Australia and New Zealand are subsidising British pensioners living in their country

16-Dec-20 – FT Adviser: Canada and Australia call for end to ‘unfair’ UK pension policy

16-Dec-20 – This is Money: British MPs rally support from Canada and Australia to end ‘disgrace’ and ‘shame’ of frozen expat pensions

15-Dec-20 – Daily Express: War widows’ pension fight backed by Lords ‘Are No 10 waiting for them to die?’

14-Dec-20 – LoveMoney: Guaranteed Minimum Pension: thousands of pensioners owed up to £32k

14-Dec-20 – Wolf Street: Bracing for Impact: My View as British Expat Just Before Brexit

Barclays has closed an undisclosed number of accounts belonging to expats in Belgium, Estonia, Italy and Slovakia. Lloyds Banking Group, which includes Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Lloyds Bank, has confirmed it is closing 13,000 accounts belonging to customers based in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland and Slovenia. Nationwide is closing at least 5,000 accounts held by overseas Britons. In total, the lender has 93,000 expat customers in the EU and has not yet decided whether its 88,000 other customers will also face closures.

29-Nov-20 – 6PR882 (Australia): Interview with Jim Tilley (BPiA) – The Fight to get the UK Pension Indexed

21-Nov-20 – Daily Express: Pension scheme: New ruling may see those contracted out of state pensions get ‘thousands’

12-Nov-20 – The Guardian: Trudeau: UK’s lack of negotiating practice could delay Canada trade deal

11-Nov-20 – Daily Express: State pension outrage: WW2 veteran missed out on £67,000 after campaign efforts ‘ignored’

2-Nov-20 – Daily Express: State Pension UK: Women could receive £100million back from DWP after underpayment

2-Nov-20 – Royal Gazette: Pensions Problems in OT’s raised in House of Lords

1-Nov-20 – Expat Forum: UK state pension of 100% NICs and another EU state pension of 70% NICs?

31-Oct-20 – The Connexion (France): We’re getting closer to a deal, says former UK ambassador

30-Oct-20 – My London: Martin Lewis says thousands of UK women could be owed up to £82,000

30-Oct-20 – Daily Record: Martin Lewis urges women getting State Pension to check if they’re owed money after viewer claims back over £82k

30-Oct-20 – The Express: State Pension UK: Britons set to receive a bonus to their sum this Christmas – check yours

29-Oct-20 – Scottish Legal News: Court of Appeal rejects challenge to equalisation of state pension age between sexes

27-Oct-20 – The Express: State pension payments can be impacted by time spent abroad – effects on NI detailed

27-Oct-20 – House of Lords: Lord Randall tables Amendment to Social Security (uprating of Benefits) Bill.

23-Oct-20 – The Sun: State pension to be boosted by up to £230 a year with 2.5% increase set to come into effect

23-Oct-20 – Eastern Daily News: Cash-hungry Treasury may target pension ‘triple lock’

22-Oct-20 – What Investment: State pension to rise by 2.5% in 2021

21-Oct-20 – The Telegraph: British pensioners worse off than the Irish, Dutch and Germans

21-Oct-20 – The Express: State Pension boost: How much will your State Pension increase by? Latest figures

21-Oct-20 – The Express: Pension pot: What is the average UK pension pot worth?

21-Oct-20 – GOV.UK – Benefits and pensions for UK nationals in the EEA or Switzerland

21-Oct-20 – Institute of Fiscal Studies: COVID-19 will bring forward
the date when the pensions triple lock is unpicked

19-Oct-20 – The Olive Press (Spain): BREXIT: Resident or non-Resident? Permanent or Temporary? The Withdrawal Agreement & TIEs; what does it all mean for Brits in Spain? – Olive Press News Spain

18-Oct-20 – Financial Times: MPs urge ministers to make UK welfare system more generous

16-Oct-20 – Institute of Fiscal Studies: Dramatic decline in pension saving among even the better off self-employed

16-Oct-20 – Institute of Fiscal Studies: The changing generosity of the UK state pension system to the self-employed

15-Oct-20 – This is Money: Elderly woman on state pension of £11 a week receives almost £19k after our probe: DWP slammed for fobbing off women who question it over errors

15-Oct-20 – The Express: State Pension UK: Government urged to reconsider Triple Lock – could your sum be affected?

14-Oct-20 – GOV.UK: 1 million pensioners to benefit from £140 winter bill discount

14-Oct-20 – Yahoo: OECD tells UK: Ditch pensions triple lock

13-Oct-20 – Politics.co.uk: Government must end pension inequality for low-income workers

13-Oct-20 – The Express: State Pension worry as Brexit could cost a group of pensioners over £140,000 – this is how

13-Oct-20 – House of Lords Grand Committee Room: Lord Randall of Uxbridge speaks out against frozen pensions policy

1-Oct-20 – They Work For You: Clause 1 – UP-RATING OF STATE PENSION AND CERTAIN OTHER BENEFITS FOLLOWING REVIEW IN TAX YEAR 2020-21. Part of Social Security (Up-rating of Benefits) Bill

Amendments 3 and 4 deal with the issue of frozen pensions. UK pensioners deserve a full uprated state pension, wherever they choose to live. Due to the historical arbitrary bilateral agreements between the UK and other countries around the world, some UK pensioners who live overseas do not have their state pension payments uprated every year. That means that their pension is frozen at the level at which they first received it for the rest of their lives abroad”.

– Chris Stephens – SNP – Spokesperson (Fair Work and Employment)

1-Oct-20 – Gov.UK – Pension boost protected by new bill

It is only right, then, that we also ensure pensioners can see their incomes protected as we build back better. In these difficult times, I want to give pensioners peace of mind about their financial health”.

– Thérèse Coffey, Department of Work and Pensions Secretary

26-Sep-20 – The Express – State Pension Changes: Will the Triple Lock System Be Scrapped? PM ‘puts his foot down’

25-Sep-20 – Financial Reporter: Can the state pension triple lock survive Covid-19?

25-Sep-20 – The Express: State pension payments will NOT rise for these pensioners – will you miss out on increase?

The Government has worked hard to protect all age groups during the pandemic…..in these difficult times, I want to give pensioners peace of mind about their financial health”

– Thérèse Coffey, Department of Work and Pensions Secretary

….Except if you live in one of the 100 countries where UK state pensioners NEVER see their state pension increased…so much for ‘peace of mind’

25-Sep-20 – The Express: State Pension triple lock SAVED as Rishi Sunak vows to honour pledge despite coronavirus

The Prime Minister has got the interest of pensioners at heart….”

30-Aug-20 – Sunday Express: State Pensions betrayal? Sunak warned over plans to raid pensions and tear up triple lock

28-Aug-20 – This is Money: Triple-lock guarantee on state pension increases could be curbed as wages take off again next year: We look at four possible options for reform

27-Aug-20 – Murray Valley Standard: Unfair: Veterans urge PM to raise “frozen pensions” with UK Government

23-Aug-20 – The Express: State pension triple lock: These pensioners will not see their payments rise in April 2021

22-Aug-20 – Daily Mail: Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak at war over pension reform as chancellor plans to suspend triple lock protection to tackle £2TRILLION public debt

22-Aug-20 – The Senior: Breaking faith: Vets denied full pension

22-Aug-20 – The Sun: PENSIONS RIFT Rishi Sunak squares up to Boris Johnson in clash over state pension increases

21-Aug-20 – Daintree Online News: Unfair: Veterans urge PM to raise “frozen pensions” with UK Government.

19-Aug-20 – The Conversation (Australia): There will be no pension increase in September for the first time in 23 years. But there is a simple fix

19-Aug-20 – The Express: State pension increase ‘hard to predict’ – pensioners warned they must ‘hold their breath’

18-Aug-20 – The Mirror: DWP gives woman £9,800 by mistake in state pension error affecting thousands more

17-Aug-20 – This is Money: Why does my friend get a bigger state pension when I earned more?

17-Aug-20 – This is Money: DWP gives elderly woman £9,800 BY MISTAKE, amid chaotic response to state pension blunder affecting tens of thousands of people

16-Aug-20 – Sunday Express: Save heroes from pension poverty pleads nursing veteran

15-Aug-20 – The Express: Nursing WW2 veteran, 99, pens letter to Boris urging him to act over pensions poverty

13-Aug-20 – The Express: State pension: A ‘temporary fix’ could reduce triple lock rises in the face of recession

13-Aug-20 – iNews: State pensions: The DWP hasn’t done enough to inform women about what they are entitled to

12-Aug-20 – Financial Reporter: DWP figures show dramatic drop in state pension gender gap

12-Aug-20 – The Express: State pension UK: How to find out if you were ‘contracted out’ of payments – check now

11-Aug-20 – Pensions Age: Q2 earnings decline stokes fresh triple lock concerns

11-Aug-20 – The Actuary: Gender pension gap falls sharply

10-Aug-20 – This is Money: A place in the sun no more: Brexit uncertainty and Covid give aspiring expats second thoughts over retiring overseas

31-Jul-20 – The Express: Backto60 women in first win of State Pension age hearing

31-Jul-20 – Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Australia: Opportunity for contribution to the Australian economy

29-Jul-20 – Money Marketing: The truth hurts, but the state pension’s days are numbered

28-Jul-20 – Union News: DWP lawyers lose legal bid to declare #Backto60 pensions case unlawful

28-Jul-20 – The Local (Spain): Brexit: What’s the difference between moving to Spain before or after December 31st?

After [31st December 2020]: neither of the two agreements above – uprating or joint pensions [the consolidation of social insurance contributions in the UK and EU] – are guaranteed to continue and at present there are no arrangements in place to allow them to continue”.

28-Jul-20 – Money Marketing: Where will pensions fit in Sunak’s post-lockdown world?

27-Jul-20 – The Independent: Women hit by state pension age rise ‘can’t sleep’ as they await Court of Appeal judgement

27-Jul-20 – This is Money: Widow, 83, receives £115,000 after ANOTHER shock state pension blunder: But in a tragic injustice, she has dementia and is unaware of her payout

27-Jul-20 – Poms in Oz (Australian Migration Forum): UK Frozen Pensions

26-Jul-20 – UK Investment Guides: UK’s frozen pensions policy faces complaints

25-Jul-20 – The Guardian: Frozen pensions: injustices faced by Windrush generation in spotlight

24-Jul-20 – The Express: Pensioners face financial wipeout as 14 every day sell homes to fund care

24-Jul-20 – The Local (France): Brexit: What are the differences moving to France before or after December 31st?

23-Jul-20 – Daily Record: Campaigners take to the streets dressed as suffragettes to protest against rise in pension age

23-Jul-20 – Brixton Buzz: Cross-party call to reconsider “frozen pensions” policy affecting Windrush retirees

23-Jul-20 – Brixton Blog: MP urges action on Windrush Generation pensions

This longstanding policy disproportionately impacts members of the Windrush Generation, many of whom didn’t leave the UK voluntarily and were not informed their pension would be frozen. If you’ve made National Insurance contributions your whole working life, there’s no reason you shouldn’t receive your full and up-rated pension in retirement, wherever you choose to live.”

– Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP Streatham

21-Jul-20 – Livewire Livesey Blog: Frozen British Pensions – July 2020 Update

21-Jul-20 – Daily Mail: Four million women born in the 1950s have been left ‘disenfranchised’ by ‘catastrophic’ changes to the state pension age, the Court of Appeal heard today.

20-Jul-20 – Money Marketing: Unpicking the triple lock: what is the right level for state pension?

20-Jul-20 – iNews: The state pension triple lock must stay – too many pensioners still worry how they would manage an unexpected bill

Sadly 1.9 million pensioners are living in poverty, of whom nearly three out of five (58 per cent) are women.

A quarter (23 per cent) of pensioners have to rely on means-tested benefits and many others are entitled to, but not receiving, benefits that are due to them

….frozen pensioners do not even have access to these benefits, so, imagine how many of them live below the poverty line…

20-Jul-20 – This is Money: ‘I spent £21k on state pension top-ups AND deferred for five years, but saw no increase in payments’: Why did the DWP ignore his pleas for help?

20-Jul-20 – Money Marketing: Unpicking the triple lock: what is the right level for state pension?

17-Jul-20 – The Express: State pension triple lock: New ‘threat of changes’ emerges – how would you be affected?

17-Jul-20 – Forbes: The Social Security ‘Third Rail’ In Action: The ‘Triple Lock’ In The UK

16-Jul-20 – Actuarial Post: Whether, When and How the Pension Triple Lock may end

16-Jul-20 – iNews: State pension triple lock: Rishi Sunak gives strongest signal yet that manifesto pledge is not safe

HM Treasury: “This Government will always look after pensioners”

….but not the 500,000 frozen pensioners who never receive an increase to their UK State Pension…

14-Jul-20 – The Express: State pension age changes: How coronavirus could lead to massive review – expert

14-Jul-20 – Emigrate.co.uk: Adventurous Brit pensioners should consider the Philippines

14-Jul-20 – Pensions Age: Triple lock could increase state pension costs in 2024/25 by £6bn more than if CPI-linked

14-Jul-20 – The Express: State pension triple lock: New ‘threat of changes’ emerges – how would you be affected?

12-Jul-20 – APPG on Frozen Pensions: APPG launches Inquiry and looking for feedback

11-Jul-20 – This is Money: Families of women who died with underpaid state pensions WILL get money, says DWP, as we reveal government answers on the scandal

9-Jul-20 – Money Observer: Are you getting the state pension you deserve?

9-Jul-20 – ABC (Newcastle) Australia: Could you be entitled to a British Pension payment?

9-Jul-20 – This is Money: It’s time the Government faces up to the state pension scandal and pays ALL the women owed money

8-Jul-20 – Actuarial Post: Aegon comment on the Chancellors Summer Statement

8-Jul-20 – The Connexion (France): Brexit: What would Australia deal mean for Britons in France

8-Jul-20 – The Express: State pension guarantee under threat despite Boris Johnson’s triple lock commitment

7-Jul-20 – This is Money: Women’s pensions lost in the post: Thousands missing out on retirement cash after vital letters were sent to their HUSBANDS instead

Married women who reached state pension age before April 2016 are entitled to 60 per cent of their husband’s basic state pension rate when he reaches state pension age. It means the wife of a man now receiving the maximum of £134.25 a week should receive at least £80.45.

The DWP has since handed over more than £330,000 to 30 women who missed out. But backdated payouts for women entitled to the better rate before March 2008 are limited to just 12 months. This is because before that date wives had to claim the better rate themselves, whereas now it should be paid automatically.

30-Jun-20 – International Adviser: Pensions triple lock may not be out for the count just yet

30-Jun-20 – Pensions Age: Scrapping triple lock without detailed assessment would be ‘madness’ – Hymans Robertson

…implementation of the triple lock had only increased state pension by 2.5 per cent of national average earnings since it was put in place in 2010 – from around 20 per cent of average earnings in 2010 to around 22.5 per cent in 2020.

“It’s difficult to see how this 2.5 per cent change has substantially shifted the position of pensioner poverty when the threshold for this is 60 percent of median household income”.

– Chris Noon, Partner, Hymans Robertson 

30-Jun-20 – Iexpats: UK Reciprocal Health And Social Security Agreements Explained

29-Jun-20 – This is Money: Government spurns calls for full proactive effort to make payouts to women losing out on thousands of pounds in state pension

The Government resisted pressure to actively track down elderly women underpaid thousands of pounds in state pension when fielding questions in parliament today.

29-Jun-20 – The Express: Pension: Best and worst countries for retirement in Europe revealed – where does UK rank?

29-Jun-20 – iNews: Keir Starmer: Pensioners should not be punished in coronavirus economic recovery

29-Jun-20 – Actuarial Post: Scrapping triple lock would lead to pensioner poverty

27-Jun-20 – MoneyWeek: Should the pensions triple lock be scrapped?

27-Jun-20 – This is Money: Two more women receive state pension payouts totting up to £38k: 

26-Jun-20 – iNews: State pension triple lock: Coronavirus volatility could mean pensions rise by 7.6% as policy is branded a ‘mess’

25-Jun-20 – Bloomberg: U.K. Policy Risks Pensions Outstripping Wage Growth Through 2022

25-Jun-20 – International Adviser: Scrapping pensions triple lock ‘unacceptable’, Brits say

25-Jun-20 – Brinkwire: UK may need to suspend wages-pensions link due to COVID…

25-Jun-20 – Actuarial Post: Could this be the end of the State Pension triple lock

24-Jun-20 -The Express: State Pension: How does moving abroad affect my State Pension?

24-Jun-20 – iNews: The state pension triple lock does not protect the poorest and oldest pensioners at all – a double lock could help

22-Jun-20 – The Express: State pension warning: Triple lock under threat next year as No 10 faces ‘expensive’ bill

20-Jun-20 – Stock News Press: Coronavirus: Why the pension triple lock is back in the spotlight

20-Jun-20 – Click Lancashire Independent News: United Kingdom government has no plans to end pension ‘triple lock’ – PM spokesman

19-Jun-20 – Bloomberg: Senior Conservative Says U.K. Could Suspend Pensions Lock

19-Jun-20 – The Guardian: From now, policies must put young people first. Starting with the triple-lock pension

19-Jun-20 – The Guardian (Canada): UK may need to suspend wages-pensions link due to COVID distortion: lawmaker

19-Jun-20 – FT Adviser: TC chairman calls for triple lock amendment amid Covid fears

The pensions triple lock will produce unintended consequences in its current form. This is largely due to the fact that in 2021 there will be a very significant increase in average wages relative to the level this year”

– Mel Stride, Chairman of Treasury Committee

18-Jun-20 – The Express: Millions could be worse off if triple lock pledge axed: Fury over threat to state pension

18-Jun-20 – Portfolio Adviser: Pensions ‘triple lock’ edges closer to precipice

17-Jun-20 – International Investment: UK negative inflation from covid-19 ‘could see the end of the triple lock’

17-Jun-20 – Reuters: UK government has no plans to end pension “triple lock” – PM spokesman

17-Jun-20 – BBC News: Coronavirus: Why the pension triple lock is back in the spotlight

16-Jun-20 – The Independent: Covid recovery will prompt huge hike in state pension payments

15-Jun-20 – The Irish News: The national scandal of women being underpaid their state pension for years

15-Jun-20 – iNews: State pension triple lock could go if UK inflation rate turns negative, former pensions minister Steve Webb warns

15-Jun-20 – FT Adviser: Warning inflation slump to pave way for triple lock scrap 

Scrapping the triple lock and effectively freezing the state pension would be seen as a “radical move”, a more modest approach would be to announce a modified triple lock, with a lower increase of 1 per cent or 1.5 per cent”.  

– Sir Steve Webb, previous Pensions Minister

29-May-20 – FT Adviser: ‘No assessment made’ of scrapping pension triple lock 

26-May-20 – International Adviser: UK pensions secretary ‘cherry-picking’ facts on frozen pensions

Over 90,000 of these overseas UK pensioners receive less than £20 per week, whereas, if they had remained in the UK, they would now be receiving £134 per week. The average for this cohort is just £11.11 per week“.

13-May-20 – FT Adviser: Govt told to scrap pensions triple lock to reduce virus debt 

The pensions triple lock could be scrapped in the near future as the government looks to recoup the hundreds of billions of pounds it has spent on Covid-19 support. Britain will have a £337bn budget deficit this year, due to the amount of support offered
by the government throughout the Covid-19 crisis.

13-May-20 – Daily Mail: Who’s going to pay for all this? 

13-May-20 – Cambridge Network: Is the State Pension means-tested?

13-May-20 – What Investment: The pensions triple lock faces calls for reform to be fair to all

13-May-20 – The Guardian: Pensioners 34 times more likely to die of Covid-19 than working age Brits, data shows 

About 12% of all deaths relating to Covid-19 have occurred among those under 65 – a total of 4,066 deaths. Most victims have been in the over-65 category, accounting for 30,978 fatalities. There have been 8.4 deaths per 100,000 people among the under-65 category, which rises to 286 deaths per 100,000 in the over-65 group.

11-May-20 – Financial Reporter: Almost half of retirees unaware of State Pension deferral option

11-May-20 – The Irish News: £750 billion in dormant pensions – how much is yours?

9-May-20 – Yahoo: 100,000 war heroes denied state pension rises

8-May-20 – Iexpats Blog: UK Pension Tracing For Expats

Only 1 in 25 people bother to tell their pension providers when they move home. And as most people move home eight times in their lives, the chances of tracking them down is almost impossible for the providers. The chances are even slimmer for expats.

8-May-20 – Iexpats Blog: How to Claim Your UK State Pension as an Expat Retired Overseas

7-May-20 – Moneywise: Campaigners call to end frozen pensions for World War II heroes

7-May-20 – The Sun News: Campaigners call to end frozen pensions for World War II heroes

…the absurdity and immorality of the UK Government’s approach to frozen pensions. Each and every frozen pensioner is more than a number on a spreadsheet in Westminster, we are proud British people who paid into our pensions and expected equal treatment. That many are trying to live through this crisis on scandalously low pensions should leave our politicians deeply ashamed and should act as the final nail in the coffin of the unjust frozen pensions policy.”

– Patricia Coulthard, 98, who nursed troops evacuated from Dunkirk and served in India and Burma during the Second World War

7-May-20 – Dundee Messenger: VE Day anniversary: Calls to end frozen pensions for WW2 veterans abroad

I call it fraud. We paid for our pension on exactly the same terms as every other pensioner, and yet without being warned – and because we have come to a Commonwealth country – we receive no further indexation until we die.”

– Anne Puckridge, aged 95, who served in al of the armed forces during World War II

7-May-20 – BBC Today: Radio interview with Inez Minc (97) and Anne Puckridge (95) before 75th anniversary of VE Day

7-May-2020 – BBC News: VE Day anniversary: Calls to end frozen pensions for WW2 veterans abroad

6-May-20 – Lords Hansard: 

5-May-20 – The Mirror: FROZEN OUT – 500,000 expats cut off from state pension rises

4-May-20 – The Express: Fight to end poverty for heroes who retired abroad

2-May-20 – Briefings for Britain: Brussels’ ‘Level Playing Field’: A Strategy of Entanglement

29-Apr-20 – The Express: State Pension: One week until changes which may affect you

28-Apr-20 – International Express: Letter from Jim Tilley (BPiA)

28-Apr-20 – iNews: State pension and coronavirus: Concerns raised about whether older people are accessing their pensions during lockdown

27-Apr-20 – This is Money: I lived with my late partner for 33 years but can’t inherit his state pension because we never married – how can I fight this?

27-Apr-20 – The Express: State Pension: Is State Pension means tested?

26-Apr-20 – The Express: PIP rates: How much is Personal Independence Payment? What happens at state pension age?

25-Apr-20 – Euroweekly News: Pensioner and Wife who Spend Winters in Spain Fear this will Finish if UK Scraps Reciprocal Health Arrangements

In theory, it is still possible that the UK will enter into some form of arrangement with Spain over health matters, but this is no way certain and with Brexit looming and the EU accusing the British government of stalling, there is still the possibility of a hard exit at the end of this year.

….same applies to the UK State Pension regarding bilateral agreements

25-Apr-20 – The Express: State Pension for women: How much is State Pension for a woman?

24-Apr-20 – The Express: National Insurance threshold has risen – how it affects the UK state pension explained

24-Apr-20 – The Express: State Pension 2020: Pension changing in May – full list of changes

21-Apr-20 – FT Adviser: Waspi women call for state pension access 

20-Apr-20 – World Socialist Web Site: UK think tank urges pension cuts to pay for pandemic   

16-Apr-20 – The Express: State Pension: Can I lose my State Pension?

15-Apr-20 The Express: State Pension: What happens to your State Pension when you die?

15-Apr-20 – The Express: State Pension: Divorcees entitlement upon split from spouse

15-Apr-20 – Left Foot Forward: The state pension is in the firing line

In 2018, the UK state pension was 29% of average earnings, the lowest among industrialised nations. This position has not improved in subsequent years. The proportion of retirees living in severe poverty in the UK is five times what it was in 1986. The UK public pension spending is about 6.2% of its GDP, compared to an average of 8% for the OECD countries.

15-Apr-20 – The Express: Triple lock pension: Could my pension be affected?

The Social Market Foundation (SMF) says the aftermath of the crisis is likely to see another round of austerity. The SMF also says that continuing to maintain the triple lock pension system would be unfair given the financial sacrifices younger workers are having to make.

….the SMF obviously hasn’t looked at the National Insurance Fund (NIF) excess balance…

15-Apr-20 – The Express: Pension scam warning: How to protect your retirement fund

Con-artists have targeted the often vulnerable group in complex scams which could see Britons robbed of thousands.

14-Apr-20 – FT Adviser: Think tank calls for scrap of pensions triple lock 

14-Apr-20 – The Guardian: Coronavirus UK: call to scrap ‘triple lock’ on pensions after crisis 

14-Apr-20 – The Express: State pension: Triple lock rise under threat – but alternative could mean MORE age changes

However, if there is no departure from the triple lock it will only place increasing pressure on this government to address the state pension age. Increasing the state pension age to much later in life is the alternative means of reducing the future cost of retirement benefits, but would have greater harm on future generations.”

– Ian Browne, pensions expert at Quilter

14-Apr-20 – Daily Record: What happens to your State Pension when you die?

12-Apr-20 – The Express: UK pension fraud soars as centenarians as far away as Yemen make claims

6-Apr-20 – The Express: State pension rises but over 500,000 retirees stuck with frozen pension – has yours risen?

At the present time, with many people including pensioners facing financial difficulties to cover their basic expenses, any extra however little helps and this inflation-busting increase offers state pensioners some much needed good news.”

– DWP Spokesperson

…this is not “much needed good news” to the over 498,000 pensioners living in 138 frozen countries. They are going to gel LESS next year due to eroding exchange rates Shame on you! 

6-Apr-20 – The Mirror: Man, 80, who thought he wasn’t entitled to state pension gets shock £140,000 lump sum

If you are over pension age and have not received anything, you should call the Pension Service. If it does not hear back, the Pension Service assumes that taxpayers want to defer their state pension. But the letter may not have reached its destination.”

– Steve Webb, London Life

The DWP at its finest – they do not even know those that are entitled to a state pension and haven’t claimed it…..

4-Apr-2020 – Daily Express: State pension 2020: ‘Good news in difficult climate’ as pensioners to get ‘bumper’ rise

3-Apr-2020 – International Investment: How the new UK tax year will affect expats

2-Apr-2020 – This is Money: Two women handed payouts totalling £14,000 after state pension blunder went unnoticed for years

1-Apr-2020 – The Express: State pension for men: How much is State Pension for men?

1-Apr-2020 – The Express: State pension is rising next week but thousands could see pensions cut by up to £70 a week

31-Mar-20 – The Express: State pension age but not yet claimed pension? You could get up to £300 – but MUST act now

Financial support is available for some people during this time, and this includes the Winter Fuel Payment. Under this scheme, if a person was born on or before April 5, 1954, they could get between £100 and £300 to help.

…where is OUR Winter Fuel Payment?

30-Mar-20 – This is Money: Will I inherit any of my terminally ill husband’s state pension when he dies?

29-Mar-20 – The Telegraph: ‘The Government has helped everyone – apart from us pensioners’

27-Mar-20 – The Chronicle Herald: UK ramps up jobs protection push with social security, pensions pledge

24-Mar-20 – Olive Press: Lonely, elderly British expats at risk of coronavirus on Spain’s Costa del Sol tracked down

24-Mar-20 – Murcia Today: UK pensioners in Spain hit by a 10 per cent drop in the pound-euro exchange rate

20-Mar-20 – Citywire Puclishers: Minister Opperman defends calling state pension a ‘benefit’

17-Mar-20 – International Express: Letters to the Editor

17-Mar-20 – People Management: State pension changes boost number of women over 60 in work

16-Mar-20 – The Express: State pension age changes: ‘Profound impact on women in their 60s’ revealed in new report

16-Mar-20 – The Guardian: More women aged 60-64 in work than not for first time in UK – ONS

16-Mar-20 – FT Adviser: Savers still fail to check state benefits despite warnings

15-Mar-20 – Brits in Toronto blog: Canada is being left out in the cold … again

14-Mar-20 – The Guardian: Frozen pensions: ‘unfair’ policy costs 94-year-old £62,000 

Last Monday was Commonwealth Day, and the press release talked about “delivering a common future”. But those words may feel hollow to some: the highest numbers of affected pensioners live in larger Commonwealth countries such as Australia and Canada”.

14-Mar-20 – The Express: State pension: ‘Good news’ for pensioners as Living Wage rise could ‘bake in’ extra amount

Surprisingly, the increase in the national living wage for lower paid workers will be a modest boost for pensioners. One of the factors which decides how much the state pension increases each year is the growth in average earnings”.

– Steve Webb, former Pensions Minister

13-Mar-20 – The Express: State pension: ‘Good news’ for pensioners as Living Wage rise could ‘bake in’ extra amount

In the financial statement, the newly-appointed Chancellor announced plans for the National Living Wage to rise in future years – with current forecast suggesting it could increase to more than £10.50 an hour by 2024. And, with this likely to increase average earnings, it’s been suggested that this could mean state pensions will rise “more quickly”.

…the state pension will be FALLING for the 498,000 pensioners who chose to retire to frozen countries, because of declining exchange rates….

12-Mar-20 – The Express: UK state pension: WASPI women demand urgent meeting after Budget leaves many ‘vulnerable’

12-Mar-20 – The Express: State pension is rising next month – but some will miss out on largest increase in 8 years

12-Mar-20 – iNews: Channel 5’s Rich Holiday, Poor Holiday proves Brits abroad are all stereotyped equally on TV

We can escape the country, but we will never escape the stereotypes…the lens that the majority of people living in the UK of pensioners living overseas is that we are living it up and having parties every day. Little do they know that, for example, over 95,000 pensioners are getting a UK state pension of less than £20 per week. The average received by this cohort of pensioners is £11.22 per week.

11-Mar-20 – The Budget: Sir Peter Bottomley:

While I am talking about pensioners, the biggest stain on this Parliament is that overseas pensioners in dominion countries and some others do not get the increases in the state pension. The law, as judged by case judges, is that while what the Government are doing may be legal, it is quite clearly wrong. The fact that we had pension agreements with Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and some of the Caribbean countries from the 1950s, when inflation was not an issue, should not leave us going on defending the indefensible. Why do half of our overseas pensioners get the increase and the other half do not? The Government really must build in getting rid of that anomaly by the end of this Parliament. It is unfair and unjustified, and it should not continue”.

9-Mar-20 – Hargreaves Lansdown: 4 pension mistakes to avoid this tax year end

9-Mar-20 – The Express: State pension shortfall: 1.6million over 55s face retirement with no private pension

7-Mar-20 – The Express: State pension heartbreak: 1950s women left to depend on men after equality age change

6-Mar-20 – The Express: Universal Credit loophole closes – 200,000 people to get £350 at their state pension age

6-Mar-20 – The Express: State pension age change: WASPI hit out at unfair treatment ‘We didn’t do anything wrong’

4-Mar-20 – Prospect: Pensions—a lot done, much more still to do

3-Mar-20 – The Express: State pension age change horror: WASPI woman forced to live with ex-husband after increase

2-Mar-20 – IPE Magazine: Guest Viewpoint: Gregg McClymont

2-Mar-20 – Emigrate.co.uk: UK expat retirement strategies being wrecked by low pension payments

2-Mar-20 – The Local (France): Fears of a ‘humanitarian crisis’ for vulnerable Brits in France

2-Mar-20 – Livewire Livesey Blog: Frozen British Pensions March 2020 Update

1-Mar-20 – The Scotsman: Feisty Women enlist watchdog to address Waspi pension ‘prejudice’

29-Feb-20 – The Express: State Pension: WASPI urge state to find retirement age fix after life expectancy shock

28-Feb-20 – The Express: Pensioners told to sign up for benefit to free up thousands of pounds – are you eligible?

27-Feb-20 – The Express: State pension: Ensure you’re eligible with national insurance contributions – top up now

26-Feb-20 – Lexology: GMP Equalisation: HMRC Guidance Published 

25-Feb-20 – Your Money: Over a million pensioners eat just one hot meal a day to afford energy bills

20-Feb-20 – International Investment: What’s next for expats after Brexit?

17-Feb-20 – The Express: State pension age change: Plan to help most vulnerable claimants revealed amid payout row

16-Feb-20 – The Express: Retirement and me: Man reveals ‘key’ pension decision amid call for state pension changes

16-Feb-20 – The Express: State pension age UK: Mixed-aged couples penalised in ‘cruel’ benefits scheme travesty

14-Feb-20 – International Investment: What’s next for expats after Brexit?

14-Feb-20 – The Express: State pension warning: 1950s women lose out on full £168 because of National Insurance

14-Feb-20 – The Connexion (France): Your rights are secure even in a ‘new’ no-deal Brexit

12-Feb-20 – The Express: State pension warning: Retirement age set to increase even further in just two years

12-Feb-20 – The Express: UK pension fraud soars as centenarians as far away as Yemen make claims

12-Feb-20 – FT Adviser: Aviva calls for state pension overhaul 

12-Feb-20 – Sky News: Government suspends £4.7m funding for Commonwealth Secretariat

12-Feb-20 – Government Actuary’s Department (GAD): The draft Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2020; and The draft Social Security (Contributions) (Rates, Limits and Thresholds Amendments and National Insurance Funds Payments) Regulations 2020

…the National Insurance Fund (table 2.4) now shows that the GAD are forecasting an excess balance of £72 BILLION by 31st March 2025. The forecast for the Fund for the year to 31st March 2024 has increased by £5 Billion since the GAD forecast a year ago – full details here.

11-Feb-20 – Emigrate.co.uk: Is Thailand still an inexpensive expat retiree destination? 

11-Feb-20 – The Express: State pension age? 1.3 million could get £58 per week – are you eligible to claim?

The average Pension Credit payment is more than £58 per week

….no Pension Credit for Frozen Pensioners….

10-Feb-20 – This is Money (Daily Mail): I live in Canada but can I get my state pension paid in sterling, to convert it when exchange rates are favourable?

10-Feb-20 – iPolitics: Lobby Wrap: 63 new registrations filed in last week of January

Mary Anne Carter of Earnscliffe registered for the Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners, who want the U.K. government to unfreeze their pensions.

8-Feb-20 – Costa Blanca Leader: Healthcare and Pension Information

…for those who are living in the EU, EEA or Switzerland by 31 December 2020 you will get your UK State Pension uprated every year for as long as you continue to live there.

– British Embassy spokesperson 

…subject to a reciprocal agreement being reached between Spain and the UK before the end of the transition period (31st December 2020)

6-Feb-20 – The Express: State pension: Britons urged to plan ahead – will you face £24,000 income gap each year?

5-Feb-20 – The Express: How much is the state pension in UK? Amount will rise in April 2020 – new rates e

xplained

5-Feb-20 – Eastern Eye: Ethnic minority pensioners “worse off” than white counterparts

…the average pensioner from an ethnic minority background is £3,350 a year worse off than other individuals at a similar age.

5-Feb-20 – The People’s Pension: Measuring the Ethnicity Pensions Gap

4-Feb-20 – The Express: BBC TV licence fee: Boris told to act as BBC should have ‘no role’ in over 75s social care

The BBC says it cannot afford to fund free TV licences for over 75s and plans to means-test older people by giving it only to those who receive Pension Credit.

3-Feb-20 – EIN Presswire: DON’T LET BREXIT FREEZE YOU OUT OF YOUR RETIREMENT

3-Feb-20 – International Adviser: Retired British expats in EU at ‘lowest level’ in five years

1-Feb-20 – The Express: UK expat pensioners living in EU drops to five-year low

….this is also true with regard to frozen countries:

May 2015: 548,991

May 2016: 544,505

May 2017: 537,093

May 2018: 513,476

May 2019: 505,946

Numbers increased from 2002 (482,019) until 2014 (551,621), but since then, they have been in decline.

Source: Department of Work and Pensions

31-Jan-20 – Starts at 60: A miserly UK pensions policy robs thousands of retirees in Australia

The UK is the only OECD country that practices a selective pension policy of freezing its state pension in some countries but not others – an immoral system that it has kept in place for almost 70 years.”

– Jim Tilley, British Pensions in Australia (BPIA)

31-Jan-20 – Daily Mail: Wish EU were here? Brits in Benidorm head to the beach on their mobility scooters to soak up the sun on UK’s final day in the European Union

31-Jan-20 – Voice of America: British Expats Mourn ‘Independence Day’

“As a couple living in Italy for 12 years, and retiring on UK-earned pensions prior to the referendum, we have lost nearly 20 percent of our annual income due to the devaluation of sterling since UK citizens voted for Brexit in June 2016.”

– Donald Law, a retired British doctor living in Pisa, Italy

….imagine having a frozen British Pension and to have that devalue by 20%….what a nightmare….

31-Jan-20 – Business Day: Brexit worries plague UK retirees in Spain — and Spanish firms

31-Jan-20: GOV.UK: Boost for pensioners in the EU

The Immigration and Social Security Coordination Bill will ensure the UK can set new rules on benefits and social security. 

31-Jan-20 – The Local (Spain): Spain’s ‘Little Britain’ braces for Brexit: Dispatch from Orihuela Costa

31-Jan-20 – Daily Express: National Insurance threshold rise to save 31m £104 a year – will it affect state pension?

….with fewer NI Contributions, the excess in the National Insurance Fund (NIF) will go down….

30-Jan-20 – The Guardian: Britons in EU remain fearful of post-Brexit healthcare and pension provisions 

29-Jan-20 – Money Observer: State pension increases to continue for expats in Europe after Brexit

29-Jan-20 – The Telegraph: British pensioners in Portugal to lose tax-free status  

28-Jan-20 – This is Money: My wife’s state pension was underpaid for 13 years, so why will she only get ONE back?

28-Jan-20 – The Local (Spain): Brexit: What the Withdrawal Agreement guarantees for Brits in Spain

28-Jan-20 – The Express: What state pension will I get when I retire? How to check your state pension forecast

27-Jan-20 – Employee Benefits: Government will continue state pension for UK nationals living in EU after Brexit

27-Jan-20 – Financial Adviser: Govt to continue state pension uprating post-Brexit

24-Jan-20 – Baroness Altmann’s Blog: State Pension after Brexit and frozen pensioners

24-Jan-20 – Financial Times: Pensions boost for Britons living in the EU

24-Jan-20 – Daily Mail – This is Money: Threat of frozen state pensions lifted in boost for British expats in the EU – but you must have moved there by the end of 2020

People who move to the EU or after 2020 might end up in the same boat as the 550,000 retirees around the world whose state pensions are currently frozen

21-Jan-20 – iNews: State pension age: Backto60 campaigners granted permission to appeal High Court ruling 

20-Jan-20 – This is Money: Did my wife lose some state pension while I was a soldier in the 1970s?

18-Jan-20 – Daily Express: Retirement in 2020: 7 things to consider for the thousands set to reach state pension age

17-Jan-20 – The Telegraph: Brexit and pensions: everything you need to know 

“governments realise that poorly paid pensioners in any country will end up being supported by their host country through benefits”.

– Tom McFail, Hargreaves Lansdown

…isn’t that the truth….

“Furthermore, it [the UK Government] has already agreed a reciprocal arrangement with Ireland which protects social security rights when the UK eventually leaves the EU”.

– Tom Selby, A J Bell analyst

16-Jan-20 – They Work for You: European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill – Committee (3rd Day) – Amendment No 37.

There are more than half a million pensioners around the world who have frozen pensions. There has been a sustained and impressive campaign by the International Consortium of British Pensioners to try to persuade the Government to uprate the state pensions of people who live in the 150 countries, of the 200 countries around the world, in which there are not reciprocal arrangements to uprate state pensions and therefore their pensions are frozen. So this issue goes much wider, and I applaud the Government for at least agreeing to uprate the pensions of those citizens who live in the EU, regardless of reciprocation in the meantime. I would encourage my noble friend, and the Government, to consider this in the context of the overall uprating issues for people with frozen pensions around the world”.

– Baroness Altmann – Minister of State for Pensions (May 2015 – July 2016)

16-Jan-20 – Daily Express: Brexit must NOT impact on UK expats – Warning sent to EU over treatment of Brits abroad

15-Jan-20 – Daily Express: Retirement: 1 in 3 retiring with ‘£17,460 debt’ this year amid state pension age changes

Of those in debt, 48 percent still owe money on credit cards, 31 percent have an outstanding bank loan and 14 percent will still have a mortgage. One in eight people in debt said they expect to owe money for nine years or more, according to the research.

15-Jan-20 – Lexology: Pension sharing after an overseas divorce

15-Jan-20 – Daily Express: State pension is rising in 2020 but not all pensioners to get more money: Who is affected?

While the UK has social security agreements with Canada and New Zealand, a person cannot get a yearly increase in the UK state pension if they live in either of these countries.

14-Jan-20 – Full Fact (GB): State spending isn’t at a record high when you consider the size of the economy

The triple lock has, since 2010, pushed up pensioner benefit spending substantially in real terms. But in the other direction the increases in the state pension age for women and, more recently, men will have cut it.”

– Carl Emmerson, Deputy Director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies 

In other words, the government has increased the average amount a pensioner will receive, but reduced the number of pensioners by increasing the pension age.

14-Jan-20 – Daily Express: State pension age change fix: 1950s woman has ‘goldilocks plan’ at ‘fraction of the cost’

13-Jan-20 – Financial Times: Low-paid workers at risk of losing full state pension

13-Jan-20 – This is Money: The mistake costing British pensioners thousands of pounds a year

The key state benefits pensioners can claim are guarantee pension credit, savings pension credit and a council tax reduction.

11-Jan-20 – Daily Express: State pension UK: Is the amount you get rising in 2020? When you could get more revealed

10-Jan-20 – Daily Express: Deferring state pension? How to make sure you still get the Winter Fuel Payment

A person qualifies for the Winter Fuel Payment if both the following apply:

• They were born on or before April 5, 1954

• They lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of 16 to 22 September 2019 – known as the qualifying week.”

…no Winter Fuel Payment for us…

10-Jan-20 – The Royal Gazette (Bermuda): Retirees report bank’s ‘incompetent service’

However, another senior said he had the same problem with major arrears in his monthly pension, and two others said the Bermuda Government should switch from the British-based Crown Agents Bank, which the Government said had “drastically” changed its procedures after the bank was sold off to a private firm almost four years ago.

….be careful who you bank with….

9-Jan-20 – National Seniors (Australia): Group lobbies PM on Frozen Pensions

9-Jan-20 – British Pensions in Australia: Pension Loss Factors

8-Jan-20 – Daily Express: State pension age is rising – does the change coming into effect this week affect you?

8-Jan-20 – Money Marketing: Waking up the public to the sleeping pensions giant

8-Jan-20 – Learn Bonds: Are you on track to match the pensions in the average British home? 

Last year’s retirement income for two adults was just under £28,880, said the Office for National Statistics.

…this is around CAD 46,000….

7-Jan-20 – Money Marketing: Government confirms new pensions bill details

7-Jan-20 – Daily Express: Pension news: Hoping to retire in 2020? 10 top tips for planning your retirement

6-Jan-20 – Harrogate Advertiser: Thousands of UK retirees are set to lose £70 a week from their state pension – this is who’s affected

A total of 11,000 retirees are expected to lose a collective £33 million as a result of the cuts.

4-Jan-20 – iNews: Universal Credit and benefits changes in 2020: when new DWP guidelines come into place – and how they affect you

From April, people who receive the state pension will find their income increases by the highest amount since 2010. People who reached state pension age after 6 April 2016, and receive the new flat rate pension, will be £343.20 better off a year. Their weekly pension will increase from £168.80 to £175.20. Those on the old state pension, who reached pension age before 6 April 2016, will see their weekly payment go up from £129.20 to £134.25 a week – £262.60 a year.

…and Frozen Pensioners will receive the huge increase of £0.00 in April 2020..as per usual

4-Jan-20 – The Mirror: Government to cut £70 a week from thousands of state pensions

Some £33million is being taken away from people’s pensions as the Government ends the allowance for adult dependents.

“It will come as a nasty shock to thousands of people to see their state pension cut by up to £70 per week.”

– Steve Webb, Royal London Life

3-Jan-20 – The Express: State pension: 1950s woman gives heartbreaking admission ‘we don’t have time on our side’

I don’t think any Government is going to overturn primary legislation..”

– Mariana Robinson, ’63 is the new 60’ which campaigns for women to receive their pension aged 63

….Frozen Pensioners would agree with Ms. Robinson, but you cannot give up on the fight….

3-Jan-20 – Financial Times: HMRC to act over state pension ‘missing years’ 

Lyndsey Jones, a 55-year-old FT journalist, noticed a missing year in her national insurance record when she checked her state pension forecast a year ago as part of her long-term retirement planning. HMRC told Ms Jones that the problem arose because the missing records had been kept on microfilm (scaled down reproductions of documents) which had not been uncovered in previous searches.

…Ms Jones needed this one extra year to qualify for a full State Pension. Scandalous behavior by HMRC…..

3-Jan-20 – Emigrate.co.uk: Where are the best world destinations for expat retirement

2-Jan-20 – Scottish Daily Record: Most new jobs created in next decade will be filled by over 65s

Analysis of latest UK government data shows that increased life expectancy and changes to the pension age will see many workers struggle to retire. More than half of new jobs created over the next decade will be filled by people aged 65 and over.

In Canada, according to the 2015 census, one in five Canadians aged 65 and older, or nearly 1.1 million seniors, reported working during the year, so, it is not just happening in the UK

2-Jan-20 – The Express: State pension age is rising next week – are you affected by the latest change?

On January 6, 2020, people who have the date of birth within the date range of May 6, 1954 and June 5, 1954, will reach state pension age. It is due to reach 66 in October 2020. Under the Pensions Act 2016, the state pension age is due to rise from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028.

1-Jan-20 – EuroNews: Bleak future: Quarter of a million British pensioners spend New Year in cold, damp or unsafe homes

..alarming statistics show that a quarter of a million British pensioners’ households rung in 2020 in abhorrent conditions. Some 260,000 rented households where a person over the age of 65 resides has been classed by the government as “non-decent”.

…according to DWP stats, there are over 95,000 Frozen Pensioners who receive a UK State Pension of less than £20 per week, with the average receiving £11.18 per week, so they are suffering as well….

1-Jan-20 – Daily Express: State pension age change: 1950s women in ‘poverty’ with no money, says campaigner

That doesn’t mean going out, that doesn’t mean doing anything, it doesn’t mean holidays, it doesn’t mean joining lots of organisations and clubs. It simply means existing. Most of us women are in that position or worse, we don’t have any savings left. There are women using food banks.”

– Mariana Robinson, campaigner for women born in the 1950’s

….we can empathise with these women on two levels:

• There are over 282,000 women living in over 100 countries who have never received an increase to their UK State Pension;

• There are over 48,000 of these women who were born in the 1950’s…..

1-Jan-20 – Daily Express: Brexit shock: The SIX things UK citizens can still do in the EU after January 31