A 99-year-old Second World War veteran is travelling 4,400 miles, days before her 100th birthday, hoping to meet the Prime Minister to talk about a squeeze on pensions for Britons living abroad.
Anne Puckridge is among nearly half a million UK state pensioners whose pensions have been frozen at the level they were when they left the UK, rather than being uprated in line with payments for those who remain in Britain.
Mrs Puckridge emigrated to Canada in 2001 to be near her family and currently receives £72.50 a week instead of the £169.50 she would be entitled to if she had remained.
Once so very proud of being British, I now feel ashamed of my country
She said: “I simply wish to outline to the Prime Minister that we unfairly suffer through no fault of our own.
“At my age, I have not made the decision to travel such a great distance back to the UK lightly.
“My request to the Prime Minister, that he meet with me, is not for my personal benefit, but is a request made on behalf of more than 450,000 ‘frozen’ pensioners around the world suffering as much, and in many cases far more, than me.
“Once so very proud of being British, I now feel ashamed of my country.”
Mrs Puckridge, who served in an air defence unit and decoded messages as an officer in the Women’s Royal Indian Naval Service during the war, lived and worked in the UK until the age of 76, paying all her taxes including national insurance.
They did right by the country, so surely the country should now do right by them
A petition calling on Sir Keir Starmer to meet her has gathered more than 60,000 signatures.
Her supporters include actress and activist Dame Joanna Lumley, who said: “Times may be tough and challenging. But I urge the powers that be to be mindful that many of those affected by this cruel policy served Britain through even tougher times.
“I think swathes of the country will find it simply unthinkable that brave men and women such as Anne should be treated this way.
“Some of the affected pensioners, like her, served our country in its most perilous days.
“They did right by the country, so surely the country should now do right by them. I urge the Prime Minister to move mountains in his no doubt crowded diary to find a precious few minutes to meet Anne when she makes her epic trip to the UK in December.”
A total of 32 UK parliamentarians have signed a pledge calling on the UK Prime Minister to meet Mrs Puckridge during her visit to the UK in December, including 14 members of the Labour Party.
Tonia Antoniazzi, Labour MP for Gower, has been a long-time advocate for ending the frozen pensions policy, and said: “The more I hear about this policy the more indefensible it becomes.
“For decades now, successive governments have hidden behind figures from the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) suggesting that righting this great wrong would cost billions. That is simply not the case.
“The pensioners are only asking for uprating from this point going forward. Campaigners estimate that uprating on such a going forward basis would cost about £50 million in the first year, a tiny proportion of the overall pensions budget.
“In Treasury terms, that’s a small price to pay to address such a great and long-standing injustice that’s hit generations of pensioners.
“In all conscience, how can any of us look someone like Anne Puckridge in the eye and not feel that she deserves better.”
A Government spokesperson said: “We are deeply proud of our veterans and their families for the contribution they make to our country. Theirs is the ultimate public service, and their professionalism and bravery is rightly respected across the world.
“We understand people move abroad for many reasons, and we provide clear information on how this can impact their finances in retirement – with the policy on the uprating of the UK state pension for recipients living overseas a longstanding one.”
