Women against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) have been cautioned that “not all women” will receive compensation from the Labour government and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This comes amid the UK government’s reconsideration of its previous decision to deny pension payouts to WASPI campaigners.
Campaigners highlight that millions of women born in the 1950s were adversely affected by changes to the state pension age, which they argue were implemented unfairly. An estimated 3.6 million women born in the 1950s lost out due to government failings in handling these changes.
Last December, ministers declared they would not provide compensation to women in this group. This followed a March report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), which recommended compensation payments of around £2,950.
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However, the government revealed new evidence that was not available to former DWP Secretary Liz Kendall when the initial decision was made. This evidence is now under review.
Pat McFadden, the current Work and Pensions Secretary, told the House of Commons on Tuesday that the government will “retake” the decision regarding compensation for women born in the 1950s. He emphasized that while the new evidence will be reviewed alongside previous information, this does not guarantee financial redress.
The PHSO estimated that a payout to all eligible women, within a recommended range of £1,000 to £2,950 each, could cost between £3.5 billion and £10.5 billion. Yet, it also noted that “not all women born in the 1950s will have suffered an injustice.”
Following the announcement, Angela Madden, chair of WASPI, described the decision as “a major step forward” and stated that the group is currently seeking legal advice about what this means for their judicial review.