My guess is that the 'pensioners abroad' actually spent many years paying in to the system, whereas many pensioners here have never contributed a single penny themselves ... now who 'deserves' the allowance?
\\\\pensioners here deserve it,pensioners living abroad do not.\\\
Just to get things clear in my own mind, you feel that a pensioner in the UK on a pension totaling £80,000 per annum deserves it more than a pensioner in Spain who has a pension of £25,000 per annum?
Gee, I'd be glad if my total pensions came to £25K a year, irrespective of which country I lived in. The £80k people sqad quotes should certainly be means tested for income like the WFA - why should the State pay them a handout, if they have that sort of retirement income? It's not been contributory, it's a bonus type of payment for being older.