People living abroad will no longer have access to the class two voluntary national insurance contributions system, in a crackdown on state pensions paid to overseas claimants.
DWP state pension overhaul means thousands will lose their full payments
A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) state pension overhaul means thousands will lose their access to FULL payments.
People living abroad will no longer have access to the class two voluntary national insurance contributions system, in a crackdown on state pensions paid to overseas claimants.
Labour Party Chancellor Rachel Reeves told the Commons: “Taxpayers’ money should not be spent on pensions for people abroad who only lived here for a couple of years and may never have paid a penny in tax.
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“The Conservatives allowed thousands of people living abroad to buy their way into the state pension for as little as £3.50 a week, debasing the purpose of our pension system.
“And so I will abolish access to class two voluntary national insurance contributions for people living abroad, increasing the time that someone has to live or work in Britain to 10 years and increasing the contributions they must pay.”
In her Autumn Budget last month, The Chancellor told the Commons: “I am asking everyone to make a contribution.”
Ms Reeves said: “Today, I will maintain all income tax and equivalent national insurance thresholds at their current level for a further three years from 2028.”
Turning to taxes affecting pensions, the Chancellor said she would ensure “that people only in receipt of the basic or new state pension do not have to pay small amounts of tax through simple assessment from April 2027”.
She continued: “I will also keep the plan two student loan repayments threshold at its 2026/27 level for three years.”
In response, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has taken aim at Rachel Reeves, declaring the Chancellor “hopelessly out of her depth” ahead of her Budget statement.
Speaking at a rally in Wales, Mr Farage said: “Rachel from accounts will be up on Wednesday. It was Lee Anderson that called her Rachel from accounts, and it’s kind of stuck.
“I think the truth is she was actually Rachel from complaints, not accounts. And I cannot think of a Chancellor of the Exchequer in my lifetime more completely, utterly, hopelessly out of their depth as Rachel Reeves. It is a disaster.”