Tory hypocrisy laid bare over unwillingness to help British pensioners

Stewart Hosie has blasted the Tories ‘hypocrisy’ as their failure to come to pension agreements with a number of countries has left thousands of British pensioners out of pocket.

The Dundee East MP was recently listed as a supporter of the campaign to end ‘frozen’ pensions – a group seeking to end a UK Government policy leaving an estimated 500,000 British pensioners without money they are owed.

Britons who moved abroad, often to be closer to family, to countries with whom the UK lacks reciprocal pension agreements have found themselves receiving much less of their state pension than those living in the UK.

The UK state pension rises regularly in line with inflation but not for the tens of thousands of British pensioners living in countries such as Australia and Canada, despite the governments of said countries demonstrating a willingness to end such an injustice.

Pledging his support for the campaign Mr Hosie blasted the Tories’ inaction, saying:

“Thousands of people who have moved, in many cases to be closer to family, are being punished despite paying into the system all of their lives - all because successive Westminster Governments have failed to come to the table and form reciprocal agreements with a number of countries.”

“It rather lays bare the hypocrisy of the Tories who’ve spent the years following the Brexit vote hailing the result as an opportunity to reconnect with commonwealth countries like Australia and Canada when they have, for so long, failed to work with those countries to help British pensioners living there.”

“It’s a downright disgrace that this has been allowed to go on for so long, though it’s nothing new to see the Tories sit back as watch as people are plunged into poverty through no fault of their own.”

“I hope the UK Government will soon see sense and end the financial suffering so many British pensioners are being forced to endure.”

ENDS

For more information on the campaign to end frozen pensions go to: https://endfrozenpensions.org/