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Expats who qualify to receive the UK state pension have been hit by plans to freeze the payments instead of allowing them to increase in line with inflation as with pensioners living in the UK.
Despite paying into the system for sometimes decades and no longer being a burden on Uk public services British pensioners who have chosen to spend their retirement abroad will be worse off under the plans.
Now the International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP) is seeking to start the debate amongst the British political classes to fight back against the proposals.
The ICBP will be holding a round table discussion chaired by Financial Times journalist Josphine Cumbo. The debate is designed to promote an alternative but affordable policy that will not unfairly affect expat pensioners.
John Markham, 79, director of UK parliamentary affairs on the board of ICBP and an expatriate for over 20 years said, “We feel it is a total abandonment of British principles that the present government refuses to consider pension parity, especially as, when they were in opposition, supported the Equality Bill signed by all members of the Commonwealth.”
Oliver Letwin MP, Cabinet Office minister, is described as a supporter of the cause saying, “The current system has evolved as a product of history, not rationality.”