The Pension Credit was introduced in most deceitful way by our Chancellor and it came into effect in October 2003. Having got their fingers burnt over the winter allowance, the Treasury then employed further cunning so as to circumnavigate EU. Regulations 1408/71, Article 10., by calling the Pensions Credit a means tested benefit. He changed the name of the previous Minimum Income Guarantee to Pension Credit, but for the purpose of EU. Regulations he then refers to it as Income Support. This is of course a means tested and therefore, by definition, not an exportable allowance nor an integral part of the State Pension.
This deliberate deceit was two fold (a) to lead U. K. resident pensioners into the belief that they were receiving a substantial pension increase and (b) to avoid paying this increase to expatriates. He openly states that the minimum income required to bring UK resident pensioners above the poverty line is £139.00 a week, yet many expatriates receive a mere£75.00 a week to survive on. This places them some 30% below their U. K. counterparts.
It is also worth noting that non of the other Member States have adopted the same devious and deceitful route as the Gordon Brown and his Treasury. But then they do not have Gordon Brown as their Chancellor do they?.