A 99-year-old war veteran brings 'fight for justice' on frozen pensions to 10 Downing Street (2024)

All Anne Puckridge wants for her milestone 100th birthday is a meeting with the Prime Minster as she brings her “fight for justice” over frozen pensions to the UK.

The 99-year-old World War Two veteran has launched a petition calling on Sir Keir Starmer to meet her as she urges him to “end the suffering of 450,000 ‘frozen’ overseas pensioners.”

And she will be travelling the 7,000 miles from her home in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in December in the hope of discussing this “discriminatory policy” with him.

Her daughter, Gillian Mittens, said: “Anne wants to personally ask him to end the suffering of 450,000 ‘frozen’ overseas pensioners.

“They are denied yearly state pension increases, which means that their pension remains permanently ‘frozen’ at the level it was when they moved abroad. 

“Half receive just £65 per week or less. Most weren’t even told their state pension would be frozen when they moved. My Mum is leading their fight for justice after a lifelong service to her country.”

Ms Puckridge is one of around 500,000 UK state pensioners living abroad who has a “frozen” state pension.

A 99-year-old war veteran brings 'fight for justice' on frozen pensions to 10 Downing Street (1)

Their pensions are essentially “frozen” at the level they were on the day they leave the UK and are not covered by the triple lock, which ensures retirees in the UK havestate pensionswhich rise every April by the highest of wages, the rate of inflation, or 2.5 per cent.

Britain has deals with some countries, including those in the EU, to ensure UK citizens living there on the state pension have their payouts uprated each year.

But no such deals exist a number of Commonwealth countries, such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

This has been a long-fought campaign for Ms Puckridge, who served in all three branches of the Armed Forces during the Second World War.

She told i in July this year of her desperate financial situation.

Although she spent her working life in the UK and made all her national insurance contributions, her pension has been frozen at£72.50 per week since she left the UK in 2001, at the age of 76, to move closer to her family in Canada.

If she had remained in the UK, it would now be worth £169.50 per week.

She said: “I have to be so carefulwith what I spend now. I have to be so careful with Christmas and birthday gifts especially. I can’t treat my family like I once could. I’ve had to cut down on social activities. To be truthful, I hardly go out any more because I can’t afford to.

“I used to love hosting at my house, but I am too embarrassed to invite my friends over now as I can’t entertain them in the same way that they can.”

She has used up all her lifetime of savings and investments over the past 10 years.

“Everything has gone now”, she said.

Her trip to the UK in December is not the first time she has raised the issue with 10 Downing Street. She delivered a petition to former prime minister Theresa May in 2018.

John Duguid, End Frozen Pensions campaign chair, said: Every single one of us forgotten British overseas pensioners impacted by this cruel, outdated policy are immensely indebted to Anne for shedding light on this poorly understood scandal.

“That she is prepared to travel halfway across the world, aged nearly 100, to fight for others is testament to her relentless drive and profound sense that it should not be this way.

“While she should not have to make this journey, it is my sincere hope that the Prime Minister will grant her this one small wish.

“Out of courtesy for her wartime service, her lifelong dedication to Britain, and the suffering she has unnecessarily endured.”

The campaign group said it and the Canadian Government had made “recent communications to the UK” urging the Prime Minister to take a new approach towards acknowledging the policy and its impact on both diplomatic relations with key UK allies, and on ‘frozen’ pensioners themselves.

A Government spokesperson said: “We understand that people move abroad for many reasons, and we provide clear information on gov.uk about how this can impact their finances in retirement.

“The International Pension Centre is a source of advice for people who are already retired.

“The Government’s policy on the uprating of the UK State Pension for recipients living overseas is a longstanding one of more than 70 years and we continue to uprate state pensions overseas where there is a legal requirement to do so.”

A 99-year-old war veteran brings 'fight for justice' on frozen pensions to 10 Downing Street (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Nicola Considine CPA

Last Updated:

Views: 5896

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (49 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Nicola Considine CPA

Birthday: 1993-02-26

Address: 3809 Clinton Inlet, East Aleisha, UT 46318-2392

Phone: +2681424145499

Job: Government Technician

Hobby: Calligraphy, Lego building, Worldbuilding, Shooting, Bird watching, Shopping, Cooking

Introduction: My name is Nicola Considine CPA, I am a determined, witty, powerful, brainy, open, smiling, proud person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.