‘Raw fury’ among Waspi women who say fight not over after Labour’s rejection of compensation payout
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Campaigners are seeking legal advice after the Labour government said taxpayerrs could not afford the £10.5 billion compensation package. Campaigners supporting millions of women impacted by an increase in state pension have hit back at Sir Keir Starmer’s claim that 90 per cent of them were aware of the changes.
![[Campaigners have branded a Government decision not to compensate women affected by the way changes to the state pension age was communicated ‘bizarre and totally unjustified’ (Stefan Rousseau/PA)]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/17/14/26cddd550449df181065133421d1ee79Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM0NTMwNjIx-2.78028741.jpg)
Leaders of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) group say the fight will continue for the 3.6 million women, born in the 1950s, who say they should be given compensation payouts of up to £10,000 each. It comes after the Labour government rejected providing compensation, despite a Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) recommendation that affected women should get typically £1,000 to £2,950 each.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer said taxpayers could not afford the £10.5 billion compensation package and would not rise to calls for a vote on the decision as he came under fire in the Commons. He also repeated a claim by his pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, and chancello,r Rachel Reeves, that around 90 per cent of women did know that the changes to pensions were coming.
Speaking to The Independent, the Waspi campaign’s communication director, Debbie de Spon, said the 90 per cent claim “simply isn’t true”, while adding that there was “raw fury” among members. Ms de Spon said: “One of the reasons that Liz Kendall has used… she claimed that 90 per cent of women did know, which simply isn’t true.”.
