The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign, representing women born in the 1950s, continues to press for compensation after changes to the state pension age left many financially disadvantaged. The campaign argues that 3.6 million women were inadequately informed about the pension age increase from 60 to 65, phased in between 2010 and 2020. A government review in March suggested compensation ranging from £1,000 to £2,950 per affected individual, but the current administration declined, citing costs that could escalate to £10.5 billion.
The Waspi campaign highlights that numerous women had structured their financial plans around the previous pension age, with some opting for early retirement, only to discover later that they were ineligible to claim their pensions. The government asserts that 90% of these women were aware of the changes; however, Waspi disputes this claim. Former Conservative Chancellor George Osborne reportedly saved over £180 billion by raising the pension age, yet the government has acknowledged delaying notification to the affected women by 28 months, for which it has apologized.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has defended the decision to deny compensation, stating:
"I'm afraid to say that taxpayers simply can't afford the tens of billions of pounds in compensation when the evidence shows that 90% of those impacted did know about it, that's because of the state of our economy." – Sir Keir Starmer
Diane Abbott, a Labour MP, criticized the government's handling of the situation as "unacceptable," while Labour MPs Kate Osborne and Emma Lewell-Buck have also voiced their opposition to withholding compensation. The Waspi campaign's frustration is evident in statements such as Ms De Spon's:
"I never even received a letter, let alone when I received a letter." – Ms De Spon
Angela Madden of Waspi argues:
"The fact that 90% of women had some general awareness of potential changes in the future does not mean they knew this would impact them personally," – Angela Madden
Despite the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman recommending compensation, the government has chosen not to comply. This decision has drawn criticism from various quarters, including the Liberal Democrats, who warn that it sets an "extremely worrying precedent."
The Waspi campaign had initially proposed compensating each woman £10,000, estimating a total cost of £36 billion. Ms De Spon emphasized their demands as fair:
"We're asking for a tiny fraction of that back as compensation for government failure," – Ms De Spon
Angela Rayner reinforced this sentiment by stating:
"They [the government] stole their pensions…we've said we'd right that injustice and within the five years of the Labour government we'll compensate them for the money that they've lost." – Angela Rayner
The debate over whether a Conservative government might have awarded compensation remains unresolved. Andrew Griffith commented:
"We won't know" whether a Conservative government would have paid compensation as they were voted out of government before making that decision." – Andrew Griffith
The government's stance remains firm despite criticism, with Sir Keir Starmer arguing that economic constraints make such payouts unfeasible. Kemi Badenoch noted:
"She promised to compensate them in full… now they admit we were right all along." – Kemi Badenoch
This ongoing dispute underscores the broader societal challenge of addressing historical inequities while balancing fiscal responsibilities. The Waspi campaign continues its fight for justice, holding firm in their belief that many women's futures were unfairly altered without due warning.