Labour was accused of hypocrisy last night after abandoning a vow to compensate women hit by increases in the state pension age.
Liz Kendall, the Work and Pensions Secretary, stated that the government had no plans to compensate the 3.8 million ‘Waspi women’ who were informed that they would need to work an additional five years to receive their pensions.
Senior Labour figures, including Sir Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Ms Kendall, all backed the women’s campaign in opposition.
In 2022, Sir Keir pledged his support to the affected women, advocating for them to be promptly and fairly compensated. He previously acknowledged the significant injustice they had experienced. However, the Prime Minister recently asserted that the government could not manage the anticipated £10.5 billion expense, which would have provided a payout of potentially up to £3,000 to each of the over 3 million impacted individuals.
This verdict generated a strong backlash, with Angela Madden, the chair of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) group, denouncing it as an offensive decision.
In the Commons, Ms Kendall faced a backlash from Labour MPs and cries of ‘shame’.
Labour MP Brian Leishman said he was ‘appalled’ by the decision, telling Ms Kendall: ‘Waspi women certainly do not need words of disappointment and they certainly do not need hollow statements. What they need is justice.’
Tory pensions spokesman Helen Whately said it was ‘no surprise’ Labour had broken its pre-election pledges to the Waspi women.
Sir Keir Starmer was a supporter of compensation for Waspi women as recently as 2022
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall (right) holding a placard in support of the WASPI campaign.
‘Yet again, they said one thing to get elected and are now doing another,’ she said.
‘Just like they had “no plans” to take the winter fuel payment from 10million pensioners. They shouldn’t expect to get away with this hypocrisy.’
Meanwhile former pensions minister Ros Altmann accused ministers of turning their backs on older people, adding: ‘It has been clear there is little sympathy for pensioners, who are simply not a priority for public spending.’
Campaigners, led by the Waspi group, argued millions of women born in the 1950s affected by the changes were required to rethink their retirement plans at relatively short notice and suffered financial hardship.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) suggested that compensation ranging between £1,000 and £2,950, could be appropriate for each of those affected.
But Ms Kendall said a flat rate compensation scheme would not be ‘a fair or proportionate use of taxpayers’ money’.
And she said designing a bespoke scheme to help those worst affected would impose a ‘significant cost and administrative burden’ on her department. The Prime Minister backed the decision, saying: ‘I do understand, of course, the concern of the Waspi women. But also I have to take into account whether it’s right at the moment to impose a further burden on the taxpayer, which is what it would be.’
WASPI campaigners greeted by a van with The Prime Minister’s face on during a demonstration in October
The ‘WASPI’ women have been pushing for a huge payout from the government
Ms Madden, who has campaigned for justice for the Waspi women for years, said: ‘This is a bizarre and totally unjustified move which will leave everyone asking what the point of an ombudsman is if ministers can simply ignore their decisions.’ Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, described Labour’s U-turn as ‘shameless’, adding: ‘When it was politically convenient to do so, Labour backed the Waspi women. Today, they have chosen to betray them.’
In opposition, Labour were relentless in exploiting the Waspi campaign.
Ms Kendall describes herself on her own website as a ‘long-standing supporter’.
At the 2019 election, the party committed itself to paying billions of pounds in compensation. At the time Angela Rayner, now the deputy prime minister, said: ‘Any government should act responsibly to these women.’
