Frozen State Pension payments for nearly half a million people ‘forgotten’ in General Election pledge

The Liberal Democrats have launched their Party manifesto which pledges to maintain the State Pension Triple Lock, in a move similar to that of Labour and the Conservatives. They have also pledged to ensure women born in the 1950s, who have been affected by changes to the State Pension age, are “finally treated fairly and properly compensated”.

However, one campaign group has highlighted how there is no “commitment” towards ending frozen State Pensions for nearly half a million Brits living abroad in a country that does not have a reciprocal agreement with the UK Government. This means some retirees have seen their State Pension frozen at the point of emigration.

Edwina Melville-Gray, Board member of the International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP), said: “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.”

She added: “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.”

The ICBP advocates on behalf of around 450,000 Britons around the world affected by frozen State Pensions. Its long-running ‘End Frozen Pensions’ campaign aims to end the “injustice of pensions for Britons who have moved abroad” who do not receive the annual increase in line with the Triple Lock policy.

Under the Triple Lock, the State Pension increases each year by whichever is the highest between average annual earnings growth from May to July, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate in the year to September or 2.5 per cent.

New proposals from the Conservative Party would see the introduction of the ‘Triple Lock Plus’ which would ensure the Personal Allowance is always higher than the maximum rate of the New State Pension, which is now worth £11,502 annually. The personal tax allowance has been frozen at £12,570 since 2021.

The campaign website also highlights how many of the State Pensioners affected worked as nurses, firemen, police officers and other public servants, some are