17/02/2026
Pensions on Record - Day 1
A few pretty disheartening statements from the Rt. Hon. Baroness Stedman-Scott, a Department for Work and Pensions - DWP official and lifetime peer (with a globally uprated taxpayer funded pension to rely on).
Q.
Baroness Janke:
“Is it not time that the Government restore democratic rights and pension parity to all citizens…?”
A.
Baroness Stedman-Scott:
“The decision to move abroad is voluntary and a personal choice dependent on the circumstances of the individual… the UK state pension is not uprated overseas, except where there is a legal requirement to do so.”
Our Comment:
The question raised democratic rights and fairness but the Honourable Baroness instead frames emigrants as a legal liability, reducing a lifetime of National Insurance contributions to a procedural rule.
Q.
Baroness Sherlock (re Windrush case):
After 37 years working in the UK, a woman’s pension was frozen. How many Windrush victims are affected?
A.
Baroness Stedman-Scott:
“I regret that I do not have figures for how many Windrush victims have been impacted… members of the Windrush generation who have chosen to leave the UK… will receive annual index-linked increases if they reside in a country where there is a legal requirement to uprate.”
Our Comment:
The specific question was about the scale of impact on Windrush citizens. The response acknowledged no figures, then returned to the legal framework.
For veterans and long-serving public servants who returned home to family after decades of service, the absence of data and the emphasis on “chosen to leave” can feel dismissive, especially given her senior government position during the scandal about 2 years prior.
Q.
Lord Rooker:
“How is asking people to work around the world but freezing their pensions in 150 countries… consistent with global Britain?”
Baroness Stedman-Scott:
“The UK Government have continued to honour their legal obligations in relation to uprating pensions overseas… we have no plans to change that policy at the moment.”
Our Comment:
The question challenged the coherence of the policy with her stated national values. Her answer returned to legality and confirmed no intention to change. For pensioners who worked internationally at the UK’s request, including all British Army veterans who later retired abroad, it's a non-answer once again from the person in Government most responsible for pensioners wellbeing.
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( We'll be posting updates to show you what the UK House of Commons and the UK House of Lords have said about expats and our state pensions.)
Link to the official Hansard record in the comments.
