Campaigners have threatened the government with legal action unless it reconsiders its decision to rule out spending £10bn compensating “Waspi” (Women Against State Pension Inequality) women hit by the change in the state pension age.
Last March, the parliamentary and health service ombudsman recommended compensation should be paid to women born in the 1950s whose pensionable age was gradually raised to be equal with men, arguing the changes had not been properly communicated to them.
Government ruled out giving £10bn to women born in 1950s whose pensionable age was raised to be equal with men.
While Keir Starmer acknowledged concerns raised by parliamentarians over the government’s decision, he said at the time: “Ninety per cent of those impacted did know about the change – and in those circumstances, the taxpayer simply can’t afford the burden of tens of billions of pounds of compensation.”.
“However, evidence showed only one in four people remember reading and receiving letters that they weren’t expecting and that by 2006 90% of 1950s-born women knew that the state pension age was changing.
