No-deal Brexit threatens pensions & benefits of 100s of 1000s of UK & EU27 citz who aren't citizens of where they live. Thread 1/
EU law guarantees EU citz equal treatment & portability of old age pensions, child benefits & many disability benefits. UK cant discriminate against UK pension holders who live elsewhere in EU. Nor can EU27 stop pensions for their citizens in UK . 2/
EU social security "co-ordination" is one of the oldest - & greatest - legal rights in the EU. Since 1957 EU citz have known they can move around, change job and they will not be treated the worse for it. 3/
Brexit wasnt supposed to end those rights. The Withdrawal Agreement would guarantee current EU law continues to apply - for existing rights-holders.
But if UK & EU27 dont make a deal - there is no Withdrawal Agreement 4/
But if UK & EU27 dont make a deal - there is no Withdrawal Agreement 4/
If EU law doesnt bind EU27 & UK for existing rights-holders, they'll have to fall back on national law for the pensions.
Many national laws dont allow for benefits payments to people abroad 5/
Many national laws dont allow for benefits payments to people abroad 5/
@SiannamacDonald & her husband have been told by Belgium - he won't get his Belgian disability pension if there's no deal - because he lives in UK. 6/
Same as for Belgium, UK disability living allowance isn't payable abroad except for a short period. Unless there's a UK-EU deal - of UK unilaterally changes rules - on 30 March 2019, DLA will just stop for people resident in EU 7/
UK old age pension *is* payable abroad - but annual increases are frozen. So British pensioners in Spain wont see annual increases, unless UK makes deal.
I don't know which EU country pensions & benefits are payable to residents in non-EU countries. Maybe DWP does 8/
I don't know which EU country pensions & benefits are payable to residents in non-EU countries. Maybe DWP does 8/
UK and EU can fix this now, by announcing that they will make deal to continue social security rights for existing beneficiaries even if they cant reach a deal on other issues. It could - *should* - be part of an announcement protecting all rights of people who've moved 9/
But UK Gov can't really face what no-deal would mean - and Barnier is going along with UK's disgraceful "bargaining chip" approach. Both sides are recklessly destroying people's expectations and plans, for the increasingly narrow hope of pushing the other into a deal 10/
It's so sad that we are talking about this, because it will scare people. They who will struggle to get reliable advice because even without Brexit, Gov has dismantled the networks of welfare rights experts who people used to turn to. 11/
But staying quiet is worse. Because there are 300,000 cross-border pensioners affected by Brexit (EU citz in UK / UK citz in EU27 - excl Ireland/Irish) ons.gov.uk/economy/invest… And tens of thousands of others. 12/
What's really scary is that UK and EU might let this happen. A chaotic situation affecting hundreds of thousands of our most vulnerable people - the elderly, the severely disabled - people who depend on social security. Better to raise the alarm now then sleepwalk into this 13/13
PS - this thread is about social security - not private pensions. They have their own rules & afaik aren’t dependent on place of residence.
