The PM confirms that the DWP Secretary, Liz Kendall, is expected to make a statement on the WASPI compensation in the “not too distant future”
The Prime Minister has hinted that an update regarding state pension compensation for Waspi (Women Against State Pension Inequality) women could be on the horizon “in the not too distant future”. Sir Keir Starmer informed journalists that Liz Kendall, the Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions, will soon make a statement on this matter.
The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign supports women born in the 1950s who claim they were inadequately warned about changes to the state pension. When questioned by reporters during his trip to the G20 summit in Brazil about the delay in compensation, the Prime Minister responded: “The DWP secretary will be making a statement on this in the not too distant future. He added: “Obviously, it’s a very serious report, and the response will be set out by the DWP Secretary.”
Earlier this month, pensions minister Emma Reynolds told the Commons that the Government hoped “to be able to update the House in the coming weeks”. She explained to MPs: “The ombudsman took six years to look at what are a range of complex cases, and we are looking at the complexity of those cases. I was the first minister in six years to meet with representatives of the Waspi campaign.”
A report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) concluded that affected women should have received at least 28 months’ more individual notice of the changes by the Department for Work and Pensions. The report also stated that for women who were unaware of the changes it meant that the opportunity for women to adjust their retirement plans were lost. The PHSO suggested that compensation at level four, ranging between £1,000 and £2,950, could be suitable for each of those affected. Reacting to the news, Martin Lewis posted on X: “Starmer also told traveling hacks there’ll be a statement on the plight of “WASPI women” in the “not too distant future. It’s eight months since an ombudsman recommended that some get compensation.”
