NewsState pensionHundreds of thousands of people are affected by the policy07:03, 02 Jun 2026State pension rule change affecting people turning 66State pension is increased each year thanks to the triple lock guarantee, adding extra cash into each payment to ensure it keeps up with inflation. However, nearly half a million British retirees are not eligible for this annual increase and some have been receiving the same rate for decades.‌This is known as ‘frozen pensions’, affecting people who moved to certain countries that don’t have a reciprocal agreement with the UK. This includes Canada, New Zealand, Thailand and South Africa, with campaigners calling for change for years and the government has responded.‌Responding to a question from a fellow MP, Pensions Minister Torsten Bell share what assessment the DWP has made of the impact of frozen state pensions on the UK pensioners living overseas.‌He highlighted the longevity of this policy and indicated there are no plans to change it in the near future. He wrote: “The UK's policy on the up-rating of the UK State Pension for recipients living overseas is a longstanding one.“The UK State Pension is payable worldwide without regard to nationality and is uprated abroad where we have a legal requirement to do so.‌“This approach has been supported by successive governments, over many years with priority given to those living in the UK when drawing up expenditure plans for additional pensioner benefits.”When a persons state pension falls under the frozen pensions policy, it means they have moved to a country where the UK does not have the legal requirement to increase their payments like it would have had they still been living in the UK.While the pensioners still receive the same state pension amount that they were entitled to when they first left the UK, this figure loses real value as inflation climbs.‌In the most extreme cases, some people are only receiving £20 a week according to the End Frozen Pensions campaign. While the current full new state pension is £241.30 a week.The campaign states: “Many of these pensioners have committed their working lives to British society, including over 60,000 veterans and many civil servants. The frozen pensions policy is a political choice and an accident of history. It could be ended unilaterally by the UK through domestic legislation.”Article continues belowCampaigners also claim 86% of retirees that are now affected by this policy were not told that their state pension would be frozen before they left the UK. The full list of countries that has an agreement with the UK and updated state pension payments is available on the Gov.uk website.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌State pensionDepartment for Work and PensionsPensions