‘Enough is enough’ – UK urged to stop paying into EU pensions and help own citizens

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In a poll that ran from 3pm on Wednesday, March 30, to 2pm on Thursday, March 31, Express.co.uk asked: “Should the UK refuse to pay any more toward EU pensions?” In total, 9,526 people responded and hundreds left their views on the matter in the comments below the accompanying article.

The dominant answer was “yes”, the UK should refuse to continue to pay towards EU pensions with 88 percent (8,373 people) of voters choosing this option.

A further 12 percent (1,116 people) said “no” and just 37 people said they did not know.

In the comments, most readers were in full agreement that the UK must stop sending money to finance EU staff pensions.

Username TROUT_TICKLER said: “Yes of course we should stop paying anything to them.”

Username my reply agreed and said: “Time we started thinking of our own future as we have supported the EU long enough.”

While username Mikee20 wrote: “We left the EU years ago and yet are still tied to it and paying it money, enough is enough.”

Some felt that the money should be used to support pensioners in Britain, rather than being sent abroad.

Username Cross in Surrey said: “Why should we pay! We have our own pensioners who need our help!”

And username london town. said: “Yes stop all EU pensions and give us all the benefits of a decent pension to us pensioners who have worked all our lives to enjoy retirement.”

Username John Cruddas wrote: “Our own pensioners are the worst off in Europe, we even have a two-tier pension, yet we pay pensions of EU staff who have been earning fortunes.”

However, others thought that the UK should fulfil outstanding payments to the EU.

Username Seeyerdownthepub said: “Should Britain honour its agreements and debts? Yes I think we should.”

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And username Thor’sHammer wrote: “It seems fair that the UK pays its share of the pension costs of employees incurred during the country’s membership period.”

Username BobPage said: “We agreed to it, we should pay it.”

Although, username AndrewUK wrote: “This was another reason to have a ‘no deal’ clean break.”

And username CYNIC took a similar approach commenting: “OUT means OUT.”

A new study by Express.co.uk found that the UK is responsible for paying the liabilities of EU pensions. 

Data from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) shows that the UK is forecast to pay billions of pounds to EU staff pensions until 2064.

This was agreed within the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, with the UK promising to pay “its fair share” of “pension rights and rights to other employment-related benefits accrued on or before December 31, 2020”. 

Figures suggest that the UK owes as much as £40billion, though the Government has denied this.

Pension payments will make up a large proportion of money owed to the EU in the coming years as the initial Brexit divorce bill reduces.

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