A watchdog recommended that compensation be paid to women born in the 1950s whose state pension age was raised to be equal with men
WASPI campaigners are threatening the Government with legal measures unless it rethinks its refusal to offer compensation to millions of women impacted by the alteration of the state pension age.
A watchdog had suggested giving payouts to 1950s-born women whose state pension age was aligned with men’s, but Sir Keir Starmer mentioned that the taxpayers cannot shoulder what might amount to a £10.5 billion burden.
The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) group has issued a “letter before action” to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), indicating potential High Court proceedings if the matter is not settled. Angela Madden, the chairwoman of Waspi, declared that they will not let the DWP’s “gaslighting” of Waspi women remain “unchallenged”.
According to Waspi campaigners, the Government’s justification for dismissing the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) report—which stated the women deserve up to £2,950 each—is “legally wrong”. With a £75,000 Crowdjustice campaign underway to sponsor their legal fight, the group warns that the Government has two weeks to respond before the case proceeds.
Prominent ministers including Prime Minister, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall—who supported the Waspi cause while Labour was not in power—are now facing criticism. Approximately 3.6 million UK women were affected when the change to equalise retirement ages with men was first unveiled back in the 1990s.
The Government has come under fire for the handling of state pension age changes, particularly affecting women born in the 1950s. The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government accelerated these changes over a decade ago, but there was a significant 28-month delay in notifying the affected women, an oversight for which the Government has since apologised.
Despite research suggesting that by 2006, 90 per cent of women born in the 1950s were aware of the impending changes to the state pension age, Waspi campaigners argue that many women faced financial difficulties and had to alter their retirement plans as a result.
Madden expressed her frustration, saying: “The Government has accepted that 1950s-born women are victims of maladministration, but it now says none of us suffered any injustice.”
She believes this stance is not only outrageous but also legally incorrect. Ms Madden continued with determination: “We have been successful before and we are confident we will be again.”
She urged the Secretary of State to engage in discussions about compensation, stating: “But what would be better for everyone is if the Secretary of State now saw sense and came to the table to sort out a compensation package.”
She warned that without such action, the Government would be defending the indefensible, potentially in court.
A Government spokesperson responded to the criticism, acknowledging the maladministration and the apology issued for the delay in communication: “We accept the Ombudsman’s finding of maladministration and have apologised for there being a 28-month delay in writing to 1950s-born women.
“However, evidence showed only one in four people remember reading and receiving letters that they weren’t expecting and that by 2006 90% of 1950s-born women knew that the state pension age was changing.
“Earlier letters wouldn’t have affected this.
“For these and other reasons the government cannot justify paying for a £10.5 billion compensation scheme at the expense of the taxpayer.”
