WASPI compensation update as huge outcry piles pressure on Keir Starmer
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A new poll has revealed widespread support for the Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign (WASPI) following a major setback. Research by Yonder, commissioned by WASPI, indicates that three-quarters of Brits reckon the government should overturn their choice not to award compensation to millions of women born in the 1950s hit by state pension age rises.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's (PHSO) report of March 21, 2024 said "Parliament must urgently identify a mechanism for providing that appropriate remedy". It suggested redress on the lines of level four on its scale, pegging between £1,000 and £2,950.
Yet last month Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said there's going to be "no scheme of financial compensation" for those stung by changes to the pension timetable. In a December 17 declaration to MPs, Ms Kendall owned up to bungles by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and said sorry for the muddle around the shift in retirement age, expressing regret on behalf of the UK government.
However, a fresh check courtesy of the WASPI campaign reveals public anger is widespread. Two-thirds (64%) of the electorate insist the bigwigs should follow the PHSO's verdict and fork out "fair compensation" to the WASPI women. Despite ministerial claims that compensating WASPI women would unfairly burden taxpayers, fresh details challenge this stance. Ms Kendall explained to Parliament the hefty price of adhering to the PHSO's suggestion for compensation: "Given the great majority of women knew that the State Pension Age was increasing, the Government does not believe paying a flat rate to all women - at a cost of up to £10.5 billion - would be a fair or proportionate use of taxpayers' money," reports the Daily Record.
