State pension failures have been a contributing factor to the Labour and Conservative parties’ historic losses in yesterday’s local elections, according to the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign.
Waspi campaigners have “fired a warning shot” at the UK’s two main parties, after consecutive Governments refused to introduce a compensation payout to those impacted by changes to the state pension age.
The Waspi campaign has long fought for compensation to women born in the 1950s, who they claim were inadequately informed of the equalisation in the retirement age between the sexes.
Some 3.8 million women are estimated to have been impacted, with the Parliament and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) determining that those affected could be entitled to compensation worth nearly £3,000.
Waspi women are blaming Labour’s electoral defeat on its failure to offer state pension compensation
PA
However, the ombudsman noted that it was the responsibility of parliament to put forward an ideal compensation package to Waspi women, which both Labour and Conservatives have yet to introduce.
Last night, both parties lost hundreds of council seats to Reform as part of a wider backlash to immigration numbers and benefit cuts.
Notably, the Waspi campaign has cited Labour and the Tories for failing women born in the 1950s as a partial reason the political establishment is under fire.
Chairwoman of Waspi Angela Madden said: “The local election results make grim reading for both the Labour and Conservative parties and show the political cost of failing to deliver on your promises.
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Waspi women seek compensation from the Labour government due to DWP “maladministration”Getty Images“Waspi women have clearly fired warning shots this week and if the Government continues to ignore their calls for compensation, they risk handing the next General Election to Reform.
“If ministers want to avoid electoral catastrophe, they would be wise to get round the table to put this historic injustice right.”
Last year, pensions minister Liz Kendall confirmed that the Government would not be putting forward a compensation package.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially refused MPs a vote on the matter and claimed taxpayers would not be able to afford the £10.5billion payout package.
At the time, Starner said: “I just set out the factual background and the percentage that knew about the change, and the simple fact of the matter is, in the current economic circumstances, the taxpayer can’t bear the burden of tens of billions of pounds in compensation.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves added: “I understand that women affected by the changes to the state pension age feel disappointed by this decision, but we looked in full at the ombudsman recommendations and they said that around 90 per cent of women did know that these changes were coming.”
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Keir Starmer is under fire over his Government’s policies KEIR STARMER“As chancellor, I have to account for every penny of taxpayers’ money spent. And given that the vast majority of people did know about these changes, I didn’t judge that it would be the best use of taxpayers’ money to pay an expensive compensation bill for something that most people knew was happening.”
Rebecca Hilsenrath, the ombudsman who wrote the report, previously criticised the Government for failing to respond to her recommendation.
She said: “It’s great that the Government are saying that our intervention will lead to service improvements and it’s fair to say also that people who come to us, overwhelmingly, are motivated by wanting things to improve for other people.
“But what we don’t expect is for an acknowledgement to be made by a public body that it’s got it wrong, but then refuse to make it right for those affected.”
