A Labour MSP has told the UK Government “it’s not too late” to reverse a decision not to compensate women impacted by changes to the state pension age.
Monica Lennon told the Record people remained “upset and angry” by the decision not to meet the demands of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign.
The Central Scotland MSP this week supported a motion lodged by her local constituency party calling for a “swift resolution to this ongoing injustice”.
Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, has previously said Keir Starmer’s government was “wrong” not to offer compensation. He said Westminster could have looked at some form of “targeted” or “tapered” support rather than blanket pay-outs.
Lennon said told the Record: “I think it’s important to listen to what Anas said. He has been clear this is not the correct course of action.
“It’s now a matter for colleagues at Westminster to consider. It’s not too late. I would urge Keir Starmer and the UK Government to think again.
“There is a range of options open to them. It’s right and proper the recommendations from the ombudsman are taken seriously, and we reflect on our commitment to the Waspi women over many years, so they can trust Labour to deliver.”
It has been estimated the total compensation bill could be as high as £10 billion – a figure the UK Government has said it cannot afford.
Asked how compensation could be paid for give the strain on public finances, Lennon added: “The issue is – do we agree there has been an injustice or not?
“As a party we recognise there has been an injustice, so it is for the Government to figure out. No one is saying it would be easy, or that compensation would need to be all paid at once.”
It was first announced in 1995 by John Major’s Tory government the state pension age for women would gradually rise to 65, in line with men, from the previous age of 60.
In 2010, the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government decided to speed up the changes to reduce the overall cost of the state pension.
About 3.6 million women were affected by the 1995 decision to increase the pension age to 65. Of those, 2.6 million were affected by the decision to bring the date forward to 2018.
In March 2024, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) said the UK Government had failed to adequately inform thousands of women that the state pension age had changed.
But Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announced last month that Waspi women would not receive compensation.
Both Kendall and Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously supported the Waspi campaign, but the party didn’t commit to paying compensation in its manifesto ahead of the 2024 general election.
The Record has asked the UK Government for comment.
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