The Canadian Alliance Of British Pensioners
202-4800 Dundas Street W., M9A 1B1 Toronto, ON, Canada

The SNP tried to table an amendment to a bill aimed at increasing British pensions by 2.5% this week. Sadly, they failed.

Our members frequently ask "What is happening", although those with email receive updates from Chairman, Ian Andexser. Followers of this page will know about Tendo, the PR/lobbyist agency we employ ( through the ICBP) in London. This is their recent report, cleared to be shared with our membership. It clearly demonstrates that even in the middle of a pandemic we have not given up our activity: The focus of activity for the campaign this month has been increasing support in UK... Parliament with a refreshed engagement programme and we've been working to secure a ministerial meeting on veterans and frozen pensions with the Minister for Defence People and Veterans. The Secretariat for the APPG on Frozen British Pensions; has this month also been reviewing all of the evidence submitted by some of our members and some Commonwealth governments, to the APPG inquiry. We've also been progressing the inquiry report alongside, Sir Roger Gale MP, the APPG's Chairman This month the campaign to End Frozen Pensions has secured written parliamentary questions tabled by Rosie Cooper MP. Labor [West Lancashire] and Patricia Gibson MP SNP. Apsana Begum MP [Labor Poplar and Limehouse ] has also agreed to be listed on the website as an official supporter of the End Frozen Pensions campaign. The campaign has also secured upcoming meetings with Sarah Atherton MP (Conservative, Wrexham), Dame Margaret Hodge MP (Labour, Barking), Nadia Whittome MP (Labour, Nottingham East), Chris Elmore MP (Labour, Ogmore) and Carol Monaghan MP, (SNP, Glasgow North West, Spokesperson for Veterans) to speak to them about potential support for the campaign. An upcoming meeting has also been secured with Shadow Home Secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds MP (Labour, Torfaen) to discuss the campaign and, in particular, the relationship between the frozen pension policy and the Windrush scandal. As part of a programme of increasing support for the campaign in the House of Lords the campaign team also met with Baroness Bennett, [Greens] who agreed to join the APPG on Frozen British Pensions and be kept informed of ways she could support the work of the campaign. In addition, the campaign met with Lord Polak [Conservative] and supported his oral question in the House of Lords on frozen pensions and veterans where he asked for a meeting with the Minister for Defence People and Veterans on the issue. The campaign has sent a formal letter to follow up on this oral question to the Minister and has requested a meeting. See more

A huge thank you to the thousands of CABP members who submitted comments to the APPG on frozen pensions. The very real hardships of many frozen pensioners were justly highlighted. A full report is being compiled and will be distributed by the end of October to MPs, requesting a debate in the House of Commons. At the same time it will be released to the media and we will put a link to it on this platform.

Have you seen the CABP website recently? Check out the details of the current APPG enquiry into British pensions and , if you are not a member, please join us there! https://www.britishpensions.com/

Once again, The Guardian newspaper has a very supportive article about frozen pensions, this time using the hook of the illogicality of pensions being frozen in Antigua but not in Jamaica. This is an issue that impacts all frozen pensioners and this support in the British media is critical to us. https://www.theguardian.com//frozen-pensions-windrush-gene

We hope that everyone visiting this page is a member if CABP. If you are, you will have received this survey from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on frozen pensions. Please complete it. It really helps to underscore how few pensioners knew of their frozen pensions before leaving the UK. The All Party Parliamentary group have opened an enquiry into frozen pensions and I ask you all to complete the confidential survey in the attached link. Please find the final questi...ons at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/289H86P The information that the APPG will receive will assist in collecting data on the demographic and experience of people impacted by this policy. If you would prefer to submit a response to the APPG by email using the questions on the APPG announcement document you are more than welcome. However, it would be hugely beneficial for the inquiry if we could get as many people living on a ‘frozen’ pension as possible to submit a response to the survey as well.

Make your voice on frozen pensions heard! Sir Roger Gale, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Frozen Pensions in the UK is calling for submissions to a new inquiry into frozen pensions. http://frozenbritishpensions.org/2020-appg-inquiry/... Please read this and submit your own story to the address: [email protected]

https://international-adviser.com/uk-pensions-secretary-ch/

BBC Today Program extract - Interview with Inez Minc (97) and Anne Puckridge (95) ahead of the 75th Anniversary of VE Day https://pensionjustice.org//2020-05-07-BBC-Today-Program.m

Extract from the BBC Today Program today...

And here is the BBC piece this morning, featuring Inez and Anne. The interview starts at about 47 minutes. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000hvs8

From the BBC news website: featuring Anne Puckridge from Canada and Inez Minc from Australia https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52547281