No Minister

IAIN  Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is not exactly the most popular person in Spain because he is responsible for scrapping cold weather payments for British pensioners from next winter.  He was in Madrid last week for meetings at the British Embassy where a team has been established to crackdown on benefit fraud. But you would have thought that the Minister could have taken some time to sit down with some expats and discuss the end of cold weather payments. I believe that British pensioners deserve an  explanation. Now, there are plenty of arguments for and against British pensioners living in Spain receiving cold weather payments. Obviously, it is warmer here than in Britain but at the same time British pensioners have paid into the state in Britain and should therefore receive some benefits from the government in their old age. I am afraid to say that British expatriates have become the forgotten force. We have few rights and the few privileges we do have are taken  away at a drop of the hat without an explanation from the government. Obviously, cracking down on benefit fraud is important but so is the well-being of British pensioners living in Spain. The British government can´t simply turn their backs on British citizens because they live abroad. I think it is an outrage. If the Liberal Democrats form part of the next government they are pushing for expatriates to have their own MPs. A good idea. Duncan Smith should take note.