The Government has been under pressure to pay compensation to over 3.5million women(Image: WASPI campaign)

Major update as WASPI women refused compensation over blunders

Last month The Mirror reported that more than 300,000 WASPI women had died since the campaign for compensation started, with a bombshell report calling for payments in March

17 Dec 2024, 12:44 by Dave Burke · The Mirror

The Government has REJECTED calls to pay out billions of pounds in compensation to over 3.5million WASPI women.

Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall was jeered in the Commons as she admitted there had been maladministration in telling women born in the 1950s that the state pension age was going up. She said there would be no compensation scheme set up.

Ms Kendall accused the Tories of "kicking it down the road" as she vowed to deal with it "head on".

The Government faces pressure to deliver payouts to more than 3.5million women after a bombshell report in March. Last month The Mirror reported that more than 300,000 WASPI women have died since the fight for compensation launched.

The Government is under pressure to deliver payments to around 3.5million women( Image: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publis)

As the grim figure came to light, Keir Starmer was urged to finally settle the "desperately unfair situation". Angela Madden, who heads the Women Against State Pension Inequality ( WASPI ) campaign, told The Mirror the figure includes over 25,000 who have died since Labour came to power.

In a message to the PM, Mrs Madden said: "I think around 25,000 women have died since they came into office. Every day that means another 100 souls lost before they see justice.

"We are a historic injustice that needs to be resolved."

In March a bombshell watchdog report said more than three million women born in the 1950s should receive payouts of up to £2,995 and an apology due to the shambolic handling of the pension age rise.

Thousands were thrown into poverty because they weren't informed about the change and could not plan for their future.

Campaigners say the average victim missed out on over £50,000 in pension payments. In a scathing report watchdog the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman called on Parliament to urgently pay out between £1,000 and £2,950 per victim.

Between April 2010 and November 2018 the State Pension age for women gradually increased from 60 to 65. It went up again to 66 in October 2020, and is due to go up to 67 by 2028.