Reinstate Class 2 National Insurance for British Citizens Living Abroad

Stop the 450% Pension Contribution Hike on UK Expats
From April 2026, the UK Government plans to abolish Class 2 National Insurance contributions for British citizens living overseas.

This forces expats to pay the far more expensive Class 3 rate, increasing the cost of maintaining their UK State Pension from around £163 per year to over £900 per year — a rise of more than 450%.

Nothing extra is gained.
Nothing is improved.
No benefits are added.

This is not “simplification.”
It is a stealth tax on British expatriates, many of whom have already lived, worked, and paid tax in the UK for decades.

Why this matters
British expats:

use no NHS services while living abroad
receive no UK welfare or public support
often continue paying voluntary NICs out of loyalty to the UK
represent Britain’s values, skills, and expertise around the world
may one day return home, bringing valuable international experience
Voluntary NICs from expats generate millions of pounds of revenue for the UK every year, yet cost the Government nothing in return.

Expats are being targeted because they are politically quiet:
they have no local constituency, limited voting rights, and almost zero media representation.

This policy is unfair, regressive, and unnecessary.
Abolishing Class 2:

penalises ordinary professionals, not the wealthy
harms teachers, engineers, aid workers, nurses, and military families
destabilises long-term pension planning
sends the message that British citizens abroad are a source of revenue, not part of the national community

We call on the UK Government to:

Reinstate Class 2 National Insurance contributions for British expats, OR
Introduce a fair, reduced overseas Class 3 rate for those with an established UK contribution history.

This petition seeks fairness, not favouritism.

British citizens abroad should not be forced to pay six times more for the exact same pension entitlement simply because they live outside the UK.