These are the damning images that expose Labour’s hypocrisy after the party denied thousands of women compensation over state pension changes.
Senior figures including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray and energy secretary Michael Shanks were among dozens of Labour MPs to support the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) Scotland campaign before the general election.
Over the last decade MPs and MSPs posed for photographs and even signed the Scottish group’s pledge stating they supported “fair and fast compensation” for those affected.
The women, who were all born in the 1950s, said they were told too late that the age for the state pension was going to rise from 60 to 65 leaving them no time to make plans or adapt financially.
In March the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman said that they should be compensated for government’s failure with around 340,000 women in Scotland affected.
Despite signing the WASPI Scotland pledge in 2022 Starmer announced on December 17 the women wouldn’t be getting payouts and said to do so would be a “further burden on the taxpayer”.
Scottish campaigners have shared images of prominent Labour politicians who previously supported their plight and called for an explanation for their betrayal.
Treasurer for WASPI Scotland Kathy McDonald said: “Labour is supposed to step up for the poorer people, the working people and then all of a sudden they’ve just ditched us. It’s really disgusting. I just feel so angry.”
“Over the years we had lots of support from Labour MSPs and MPS.
“Keir Starmer signed our pledge before he became Prime Minister. Michael Shanks [MP for Rutherglen] said he would help us, came to our events and stood for photographs with us. Ian Murray, the Scottish Secretary, too. Scottish Labour was very supportive – Jackie Baillie was one of our biggest supporters along with Anas Sarwar.
“They need to now go and challenge their bosses in London because it’s not right.”
Kathy said she and her fellow campaigners “feel like political footballs” and said: “They were happy to support us when it looked bad for the Tories but now they have the power to change it, they have refused.
“How can we trust anything they promise ever again?”.
Newly elected Scottish Labour MPs have also backed the Waspi campaign since their election in July.
Alison Taylor, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North posted a photo of herself with one of the Waspi campaigners on December 13 – just four days before her party denied their compensation.
The Facebook post stated: “Always happy to meet with #WASPI ladies and hear their concerns.
“Everyone deserves a secure and happy retirement.”
Zubir Ahmed, MP for Glasgow South, and Michael Shanks, MP for Rutherglen, have also posed for photographs with campaigners but have yet to condemn their leader’s latest decision publicly.
In 2021 Scottish Secretary Ian Murray spoke of his support for the women after the ombudsman ruled there had been failings by the Department of Work and Pensions – then under control of the Tory government.
He said the ruling was “fantastic news” and said: “The Government should step in now and put this right.”
Mum of two Kathy, 70, has been campaigning for redress for herself and thousands of other women across Scotland since 2014.
The office worker from Glasgow was 59 when she discovered she wouldn’t be able to retire at 60. She said: “I got a letter saying they were changing the state pension age to 63, and two months later I got another saying it was 65.
“I had planned to retire at 60 and then found out I’d have to work another five years and eight months. My health wasn’t in a good way, it had deteriorated a lot in my 50s and I just didn’t know what to do.
“My husband had to work for longer and I had to reduce my hours gradually as I just wasn’t able to keep working, and hadn’t planned to.
“There are other women who are in a huge amount of debt as a result of the changes, and many have died without seeing compensation.”
Scottish Labour leaders Sarwar and Baillie have publicly condemned their UK party’s decision while two Scottish Labour MPs – Brian Leishman and Elaine Stewart – have also criticised it.
The SNP will try to force a vote on the decision not to compensate the women when parliament returns this week.
Scottish Labour’s social security spokesman Paul O’Kane MSP said: “It is right that the UK Government has recognised the injustice suffered by the WASPI women.
“However, many will be disappointed that no compensation is being offered to the thousands of women impacted by the Tory decision to raise their pension age without proper notice.”
“Of course the UK Government should be focused on fixing the economic mess it inherited but in recognising this injustice we would hope to have seen a compromise position that would have allowed for some form of compensation for the WASPI women most in need from this long running failure.”
UK Labour said the matter was for Downing Street and did not provide a comment.
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