Three British expats in Thailand are facing financial hardship due to a UK government policy that leaves their pensions frozen, highlighting the struggles of many retirees living abroad without regular pension increases.
David McConkey, who retired to Bangkok in May 2024 after working as an electronics buyer for 40 years, discovered that his UK state pension had been frozen upon moving to Thailand. While pensioners in the UK receive annual increases through the triple lock system, expats in certain countries, including Thailand, do not benefit from these adjustments. McConkey, 72, expressed frustration, saying, “I fully paid my contributions to the last penny, but now I am being penalised. People who emigrate to countries like the US get the annual uplift, but Thailand isn’t included. Why?”
The triple lock system guarantees UK pensioners an increase linked to inflation, wage growth, or 2.5%, meaning that most will see an extra £460 (nearly 20,000 baht) annually starting in April. However, expats living in countries without a reciprocal agreement with the UK are excluded from these adjustments.
George Lewis, 76, who moved to Thailand in 2004, described his situation as living “hand to mouth,” noting that while heating bills are not an issue, air conditioning costs in Thailand’s extreme heat are high. Similarly, another British expat, 76-year-old Guy Lindsay-Watson, said, “We are hardly coping.”
The End Frozen Pensions campaign, which advocates for pension fairness, has warned that many expat pensioners, including former public servants like nurses and firefighters, are now living in poverty. Some have even been forced to return to the UK, placing additional strain on the country’s healthcare and social care systems, according to iNews UK.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and other officials have been briefed on the growing concerns of expat retirees, with increasing calls for reform of the UK pension system abroad.
