Second World War veteran, 99, to travel 4,400 miles to UK over pension freeze

A 99-year-old Second World War seasoned is travelling 4,400 miles, days earlier her 100th birthday, hoping to conscionable the Prime Minister to speech astir a compression connected pensions for Britons surviving abroad.

Anne Puckridge is among 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.

Mrs Puckridge emigrated to Canada successful 2001 to beryllium adjacent her household and presently receives £72.50 a week alternatively of the £169.50 she would beryllium entitled to if she had remained.

Once truthful precise arrogant of being British, I present consciousness ashamed of my country

Anne Puckridge

She 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.

“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 satellite 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.”

Mrs Puckridge, who served successful an aerial defence portion and decoded messages arsenic an serviceman successful the Women’s Royal Indian Naval Service during the war, lived and worked successful the UK until the property of 76, paying each her taxes including nationalist insurance.

They did close by the country, truthful surely the state should present bash close by them

Dame Joanna Lumley

A petition calling connected Sir Keir Starmer to conscionable her has gathered much than 60,000 signatures.

Her supporters see histrion and activistic Dame Joanna Lumley, who said: “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.

“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.”

A full of 32 UK parliamentarians person signed a pledge calling connected the UK Prime Minister to conscionable Mrs Puckridge during her sojourn to the UK successful December, including 14 members of the Labour Party.

Tonia Antoniazzi, Labour MP for Gower, has been a long-time advocator for ending the frozen pensions policy, and said: “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.”