WASPI women issue 'hard' update after DWP rejects calls for compensation

Waspi women have "exposed" a Labour pension minister for a past promise - after £2,950 compensation payouts were ruled out by the government. Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) Pensions Minister Liz Kendall ruled out compensation on Tuesday (December 17).

It comes despite Ms Kendall supporting the Waspi campaign previously. Back in 2019, Kendall wrote on her website: "Waspi is a campaign group representative of 3.8 million women born in the 1950s who have been adversely affected by the mismanagement of increases to their State Pension age.

"As a result of changes made in 2011, women across the UK are now suffering financial hardship – with 3,300 women affected in Leicester West alone. This injustice can’t go on. I have been a longstanding supporter of the Waspi campaign and I was proud to meet Waspi women again in Parliament recently to sign their pledge and reaffirm my commitment to support their campaign."

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Waspi campaigners posted: "Just a reminder, @leicesterliz of what you promised. Hard to see how your statement refusing Waspi women justice today is a 'fair solution'." Angela Madden, the Waspi campaign's chair, described Liz Kendall's decision as an "unprecedented political choice" and compared the Government's actions to that of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

She shared: "The women have been campaigning for justice for years and years, heard many empty promises and vacuous pledges from MPs. What a kick in the teeth today. I am ashamed and angry, and so very sorry. It isn't good enough, Parliament has failed you."

Ms Kendall told MPs: "These two facts: that most women knew the state pension age was increasing and that letters aren’t as significant as the Ombudsman says, as well as other reasons, have informed our conclusion that there should be no scheme of financial compensation to 1950s-born women, in response to the Ombudsman’s report.

"The alternative put forward in the report is for a flat rate compensation scheme, at level four of the Ombudsman’s scale of injustice, this would provide £1,000 to £2,950 per person at a total cost of £3.5billion and £10.5billion. Given the vast majority of women knew the state pension age was increasing, the Government does not believe paying a flat rate to all women at a cost of up to £10.5billion would be fair or proportionate to taxpayers."

The DWP said: “Introducing such a scheme is neither fair nor feasible and would not represent good value for taxpayers. Therefore, no financial compensation scheme will be set up.” Steve Webb, former pensions minister and partner at LCP, said it set an “extremely worrying precedent”.

“If it is acceptable for a department to completely reject the findings of a report by the independent Parliamentary Ombudsman, this strikes a blow at the heart of the whole process,” Webb said. “There is a risk that governments will now feel emboldened to ‘pick and choose’ when faced with a critical ombudsman report, effectively setting themselves up as judge and jury. Even if the government felt it could not afford to implement the recommendations in full, there were many options which would have offered some redress to those most affected.

“Outright rejection of the ombudsman’s report raises much wider issues than compensation over pension age changes, and MPs should not take this decision lying down”. Later Life Ambitions spokesperson Sally Tsoukaris said: “This will come as a huge disappointment to millions of women born in the 1950s who reasonably expected to receive compensation after the Ombudsman agreed that government had failed them.

“Those women will rightly feel betrayed. What is the point of an Ombudsman process if the government can just ignore its findings and ride roughshod over the proven hardship that many of the Waspi women have endured? Following the decision to pull the universal winter fuel payment and after refusing to extend the deadline for applying for Pension Credit beyond this Saturday a concerning pattern of behaviour is developing with this government with regard to older people.

“We will continue to fight to ensure older people’s voices are heard.”