Their battle for compensation is contiuing
WASPI campaigners have said they were “rightfully angry” with the DWP’s decision not to grant them compensation. Labour announced at the end of last year there would be no compensation for the 1950s-born generation of women, represented by WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) and other campaign groups.
But ministers said in recent days that they would reconsider this decision, as new evidence had come to light. WASPI campaign chair Angela Madden said it was “a step forward” for the DWP to retract its decision.
She said: “We were very surprised, they’ve fought us tooth and nail all the 10 years we have been campaigning. The Ombudsman took six years to investigate this and come out with a reasoned report. We didn’t agree with everything in it, but we accepted it.
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“And then within six months [of being elected], this Government undermined that completely and made a completely different decision, which made us rightfully angry.”
What is the WASPI controversy about?
WASPI represents the generation of women born in the 1950s who were affected by the state pension age for women increasing from 60 to 65 and then 66. They claim they were not properly informed of this by the DWP, with many unaware of the change right up to the last minute, destroying their retirement plans.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman investigated the matter. The group concluded the DWP should have sent out letters to the women sooner, and recommended payouts ranging from £1,000 to £2,950.
But ministers announced in December 2024 there would be no payouts, arguing most women did know of the change. They also said that sending out the letters sooner would have had little impact.
WASPI applied for a judicial review of this decision, which is set to take place on December 8 and 9. However, the DWP has now withdrawn the decision, which it will issue again.
Work and Pensions Secretary, Pat McFadden, told the Commons: “As part of the legal proceedings challenging the Government’s decision, evidence has been cited about research findings from a 2007 report.
“That was a DWP evaluation of the effectiveness of automatic pension forecast letters. Had this report been provided to my right hon. Friend [former Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall], she would of course have considered it alongside all other relevant evidence and material.
“In the light of this, and in the interests of fairness and transparency, I have concluded that the Government should now consider this evidence. That means we will retake the decision made last December as it relates to the communications on state pension age.”
