Millions of individuals over the State Pension age are set to see a 4.1 per cent increase in their weekly payments next April, courtesy of the Triple Lock – but some will miss out. The New and Basic State Pensions are adjusted annually under the Triple Lock, in line with the highest of three measures: average annual earnings growth from May to July (4.1%), the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate for the year to September (1.7%), or 2.5 per cent.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), published on Wednesday, finalised the Triple Lock for the 2025/26 uprating. They revealed that the CPI for September dropped from 2.2 per cent to 1.7 per cent, while average earnings growth for the 12 months to July was 4.1 per cent – making it the determining factor.
The new State Pension rates won’t be officially confirmed until the Autumn Budget on October 30, but the Labour Government has pledged to uphold the Triple Lock for the next five years. However, not all State Pensioners will receive the annual uplift next year.
Nearly half a million pensioners will miss out on increased payments because they have chosen to retire abroad. Under the earnings growth element of the Triple Lock (4.1%), those on the full New State Pension will see payments rise by £9.10 per week from £221.20 to £230.30.
Individuals on the full Basic State Pension are set for a significant increase in their weekly payments. In the financial year 2025/26, recipients will see a rise of £6.95 per week, from £169.50 to £176.45 reports the Daily Record.
This equates to an extra £921.20 every four weeks, leading to an annual increase of £473.60, with total payments going from £11,502 to £11,975.60.
In the same vein, over the upcoming financial year, pensioners will enjoy an additional £705.80 per four-week period. Annually, this represents a boost of £361.40, raising the total yearly pension from £8,814 to £9,175.40.
Meanwhile, the International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP) is championing the ‘End Frozen Pensions’ campaign. Representing approximately 453,000 expatriate pensioners affected by ‘frozen pensions’, they aim to “end the injustice” experienced by UK pensioners living abroad in countries without a reciprocal pension agreement with Britain, such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
These expatriates receive a static State Pension at the rate it was when they left the UK, ignoring their history of employment and National Insurance Contributions made while in Britain. To be eligible for the State Pension, one must have at least 10 years of National Insurance Contributions, with around 35 years required for the full amount, although this number may vary for those who have been ‘contracted out’.
However, an analysis by the Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners suggests that all these frozen State Pensions could be updated to match the current State Pension pay rates by the new Labour Government for £50 million. The analysis reveals that State Pension payments to frozen countries only makeup 1.3 per cent of the UK Government’s total annual expenditure.
Now, a soon-to-be centenarian and World War Two veteran, Anne Puckridge, is calling on the public to support her request for a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss ‘frozen pensions’. Anne has pledged to undertake the 435-mile journey from Canada, where she retired later in life, just before her 100th birthday in December, to challenge Sir Keir Starmer to a meeting about the scandal that sees half of the affected pensioners receive a UK State Pension of just £65 per week or less.
Anne is encouraging people to sign a new online petition initiated by her daughter. As a WW2 veteran, Anne has served in all three branches of the armed services.
Now, in her 100th year, she is spearheading the fight for justice for nearly half a million British pensioners living abroad who are denied the yearly increases to the UK State Pension. Despite having worked her entire life in the UK and made all her National Insurance Contributions, Anne receives just £72.50 per week, less than half the £169.50 she would receive if she lived in the UK.
Anne, who is now approaching her centenary, is determined to make a journey halfway around the globe from her home in Canada—a country she has called home since relocating there in 2001 at 76 to be closer to her daughter. Upon settling in Canada, Anne discovered that her State Pension was ‘frozen’, a little-publicised complication that affects many expatriate British pensioners and is often overlooked during such monumental moves.
John Duguid, Chair of the End Frozen Pensions campaign, expressed his deep appreciation: “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.”
He went on to remark: “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 impact of the frozen pension issue is extensive with over 100,000 British pensioners residing in Canada alone. Anne plans to go ahead and present her formal request to meet personally with the Prime Minister when she visits London this December.
The petition supporting her cause is available on Change.org.
