Getting a UK state pension in Poland

And it gives a nice warm feeling inside, doesn't it. Knowing that one's financial future is that bit more secure. And at such a stupidly low cost! No old age poverty for us, no being so poor that we can't even dream of going out for a cup of tea and so have no idea what a cup of tea costs, no having to rely on charity to pay our internet bill each month, no wearing fourth-hand Walmart clothes which have been washed so many imes they've completely lost their shape (as modelled below by the Michigan Mystic), no eating roadkill and left-over fish we find lying around the docks, no getting water from a well outside a shack given donated by mum.

Somebody really should get Jimmy Poorhouse to do an advert about why it's important to save for one's old age and how the UK state pension is a deal you simply cannot miss!

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Shhh, don't let Rachael Reeves know, or pension for poms living in Poland, or polaks who have lived in England will be gone in a flash!

She's the Chancellor of the Exchequer (and a very good one) so I'd guess she knows. The budget is very soon and will be a good one. It's unlikely they'll change the present system of back NI payments. The possibility of paying 8 years back NI has always existed and the current scheme to allow an extra 10 years back payments is successful. A nice source of short term cash too, since it's about 8 grand for the 10 years.

As someone who represents an urban constituency with significant inward migration from Poland, many of them (and locals too) in agency jobs or working as care assistants, I'd guess that she's very aware of the issues after two decades of weekly constituency surgeries and has always been a strong advocate for workers.

When I contacted HMRC they told me I need to pay class 3. A bit about me, I paid 20 years contributions whilst working full time in the UK
I moved to Poland 8 years ago and want to fill the gaps in my NI record but HMRC insist I must pay class 3 which is > 800GBP a year - any advice?

There are certain criteria that have to be met. All the info is on the gov.uk website. here's the relevant bit:

You can pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions if you're employed or self-employed abroad if:

Immediately before going abroad, you were ordinarily an employed or self-employed earner in the UK.
You also satisfy either of the following conditions:
(a) You've lived in the UK for a continuous 3-year period at any time before the period for which National Insurance contributions are to be paid

(b) Before going abroad, you paid any of the following National Insurance:

from April 1975 to give 3 qualifying years
from April 1975 to give 2 qualifying years and paid 52 National Insurance contributions (of any Class) before 6 April 1975
from April 1975 to give 1 qualifying year and paid 104 National Insurance contributions (of any Class) before 6 April 1975
156 National Insurance contributions (of any Class) before 6 April 1975

If you feel that your application has not been correctly assessed, you can write to HMRC stating the reasons why you think you meet the conditions for class 2.
The address to write to is:
National Insurance Contributions and Employer Office
International Caseworker department
PT Operations North East England
HM Revenue and Customs
BX9 1AN

thanks thats great, I found an online form I could complete with all my details, hopefully they will review that and allow me class 2