A PENSIONERS’ group has launched an attack on the Liberal Democrats ahead of the Eastleigh by-election.

The International Consortium of British Pensioners yesterday unveiled a large billboard campaign at the Spitfire roundabout in Eastleigh.

It read: “Supported by the Lib Dems in opposition, Abandoned by the Lib Dems in Government – How can we trust the Lib Dems again?”

Campaigners said they wanted to highlight the Liberal Democrats’ lack of action on the freezing of some overseas pensions, a policy which they claimed it had supported before the coalition. They said they had also focused on this party because it had previously held the seat.

The group is campaigning for the Government to help British state pensioners living overseas who have had their pension frozen at the rate it was when they left Britain.

It said this affects half of people living abroad in more than 120 countries, with some surviving on pensions of £6 a week.

The group wants people in Eastleigh to raise the matter with the candidates. UK spokesman for the ICBP Brian Leggett said although the Eastleigh by-election was a “vehicle” to get their message out, he said he believed there were several hundred former Eastleigh pensioners affected by this issue.

He said: “We are calling on all political parties to address this injustice now.”

A party spokesman said the Lib Dems had prioritised measures to ensure the state pension rises by the highest of earnings, inflation or 2.5 per cent.

He said: “The UK state pension is payable worldwide, but is only uprated abroad where we have a legal requirement or reciprocal agreement. This has always been the case.”