The Ombudsman previously recommended the WASPI should get up to £3,000 each
The WASPI campaign (Women Against State Pension Inequality) is pushing on int its demands for DWP compensation. Campaigners are persisting in their calls for payouts from the DWP for millions of 1950s-born women impacted by the rise in the state pension age for women, from 60 to 65 and subsequently 66.
They argue that the DWP failed to adequately notify the women of the change, with countless retirement plans left in tatters when they discovered the news at the eleventh hour. They are awaiting the Government’s fresh decision on how the matter should be resolved.
Labour declared in December 2024 that no compensation would be forthcoming, despite the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman previously advising the women should receive between £1,000 and £2,950, following their investigation into the case. Nevertheless, ministers did acknowledge the Ombudsman’s finding that there was ‘maladministration’ on their part, as they ought to have dispatched letters to the women earlier.
Ministers then announced in December 2025 that they would revisit the decision. This came just before the DWP was scheduled to appear in the high court for a judicial review of the initial ruling, which WASPI had requested.
In the original decision, ministers also pledged to implement an action plan to enhance their communication efforts moving forward, after the Ombudsman demanded improvements in its report. However, with minimal progress on this a year later, the Ombudsman contacted the Work and Pensions Committee in January 2026 expressing “serious concerns” about the lack of action.
Appearing before the committee on January 21, DWP permanent secretary Peter Schofield outlined the reason for the delay. He said: “There’s a formal, serious exercise going on, which is retaking a really important decision by Government.
“The action plan itself flows from a previous decision, that has now been retaken, so there’s a formal Government process here underway. That means I’ve got to stop work on the implementation of the previous decisions. That’s the formal position that I’m under.”
WASPI representatives were present in Parliament to observe the DWP’s testimony. Speaking afterwards, WASPI campaign chair Angela Madden said: “We didn’t expect much from the committee meeting because it’s more to do with the performance of the DWP.”
But she said they will continue to push for compensation. The campaign leader said: “Our focus will remain on encouraging the minister to implement the Ombudsman’s recommendations in full rather than picking or choosing.”
The fresh decision is set to be announced by early March. This date was agreed as part of an out-of-court settlement between DWP and WASPI, to settle the judicial review claim.
WASPI has urged their supporters to email their MPs about the issue, to demand that they are finally awarded compensation.
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