The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has reaffirmed its position on compensation for the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign group, following a fresh legal challenge launched by campaigners. The Labour government has ruled out paying an estimated £10 billion to the group, which represents women affected by changes to the state pension age.
New Legal Bid by WASPI Chair
WASPI chair Angela Madden is spearheading another legal bid after Labour rejected recommendations by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman for payouts of up to £2,950 each. Madden warned that Labour knew WASPI women “have the numbers to unseat them” if it did not reverse the decision. She stated: “After losing nearly 1,500 seats in the recent local elections, the party now has a clear choice: listen to Waspi women and compensate them fairly or face the consequences at the next general election.”
Support from Left-Wing Group
The campaign is backed by Left-wing Labour campaign group Socialism26, which has called for the Government to “deliver justice for the women born in the 1950s by giving fair and fast compensation in line with the Ombudsman’s recommendations.” Sir Keir Starmer has previously ruled out compensation, saying that the “taxpayer can’t afford the tens of billions of pounds.”
DWP's Official Stance
The DWP's stance is that women have received an apology and assurances that the mistake will not be repeated. A spokesman said in March: “The Secretary of State set out the Government’s position in his oral statement to Parliament, including acceptance of maladministration and apology to the women affected. Our focus now is on delivering an action plan to implement lessons learned in how DWP communicates state pension matters going forward.”
Ongoing Fight
WASPI said in March that lawyers would raise “legal errors” with the Government and give its lawyers 14 days to respond. Ms Madden added in an update on Wednesday (May 13): “We will not be ignored, and we will not give up this fight.”
