'I'm a 99-year-old WW2 veteran and my pension has been stuck at £72 a week for years'

Anne Puckridge is 1 of astir fractional a cardinal UK authorities pensioners whose pensions person been frozen astatine the level they were erstwhile they near the UK, alternatively than being uprated successful enactment with payments for those who stay successful Britain

Just days distant from her 100th birthday, Anne Puckridge, a 99-year-old World War II veteran, is making a singular 4,400-mile travel with the anticipation of discussing with the Prime Minister the contented of frozen pensions for Brits surviving overseas.

Like astir fractional a cardinal UK retirees, her authorities pension has been frozen astatine the complaint it was erstwhile she archetypal emigrated—missing retired connected regular increases received by those successful Britain. Mrs Puckridge, who moved to Canada successful 2001, is getting lone £72.50 a week, alternatively of the afloat £169.50 entitlement.

Amidst her preparations for the epic trip, Mrs Puckridge said: "I simply privation to outline to the Prime Minister that we unfairly endure done nary responsibility of our own. At my age, I person not made the determination to question specified a large region backmost to the UK lightly."

She added: "My petition to the Prime Minister, that helium conscionable with me, is not for my idiosyncratic benefit, but is simply a petition made connected behalf of much than 450,000 'frozen' pensioners astir the world suffering arsenic much, and successful galore cases acold more, than me. Once truthful precise arrogant of being British, I present consciousness ashamed of my country."

Having served successful an aerial defence portion and decoding messages arsenic an serviceman successful the Women's Royal Indian Naval Service during WWII, Mrs Puckridge spent her moving years successful the UK up until she was 76, dutifully paying her taxes and nationalist insurance. Now a stirring petition urging Sir Keir Starmer to conscionable with the seasoned has amassed implicit 60,000 signatures, reports Lancs Live.

Dame Joanna Lumley, the histrion and activist, has thrown her enactment down the cause, stating: "Times whitethorn beryllium pugnacious and challenging. But I impulse the powers that beryllium to beryllium mindful that galore of those affected by this cruel argumentation served Britain done adjacent tougher times.

"I deliberation swathes of the state volition find it simply unthinkable that brave men and women specified arsenic Anne should beryllium treated this way. Some of the affected pensioners, similar her, served our state successful its astir perilous days."

Dame Joanna didn't clasp backmost arsenic she appealed straight to the nation's leader: "They did close by the country, truthful surely the state should present bash close by them. I impulse the Prime Minister to determination mountains successful his nary uncertainty crowded diary to find a precious fewer minutes to conscionable Anne erstwhile she makes her epic travel to the UK successful December."

In a amusement of governmental solidarity, 32 UK parliamentarians person signed their names to a pledge urging the UK Prime Minister to carve retired clip for a gathering with Mrs Puckridge during her sojourn to the UK successful December. This radical includes 14 Labour Party members.

Tonia Antoniazzi, the Labour MP for Gower and a staunch professional of the frozen pensions policy, expressed her frustration, saying: "The much I perceive astir this argumentation the much indefensible it becomes. For decades now, successive governments person hidden down figures from the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) suggesting that righting this large incorrect would outgo billions. That is simply not the case.

"The pensioners are lone asking for uprating from this constituent going forward. Campaigners estimation that uprating connected specified a going guardant ground would outgo astir £50 cardinal successful the archetypal year, a tiny proportionality of the wide pensions budget. In Treasury terms, that's a tiny terms to wage to code specified a large and long-standing injustice that's deed generations of pensioners. In each conscience, however tin immoderate of america look idiosyncratic similar Anne Puckridge successful the oculus and not consciousness that she deserves better."