UK State Pensions after Brexit

Liberal Democrats in Europe call on the government to guarantee "uprating" of state pensions after Brexit

The Liberal Democrats in Europe re-emphasised their commitment for continued uprating of UK state pensions for recipients living abroad. The "UK government's commitment for only three years is simply inadequate" they stated. The letter sent to the 363,000 pensioners living in Europe attempting to reassure them is simply cynical. Pensioner's finances have suffered massively since the collapse in the value of the pound after the Brexit referendum and only guaranteeing to uprate for the next three years certainly does not give them "peace of mind", as the government claims.

Together with our colleagues, the Liberal Democrats Overseas, we carried out a survey among British citizens living outside of the UK and this was one of the issues highlighted by many of the respondents. It's unfair to those who paid national insurance contributions over many years and who have chosen to live abroad. It's penny-pinching by the government to freeze the state pension and our recent policy paper emphasised that the Liberal Democrats in Europe and Overseas would work to ensure that pensioners receive the full entitlement and regular up-rating in line with those pensioners living in the UK.