More than 50 MPs took part in a parliamentary debate on Wednesday to urge the UK Government to give every elected member the opportunity to vote on whether millions of 1950s-born women should receive State Pension compensation for changes made to their retirement age. The debate, secured by Conservative MP Sir John Hayes, follows the announcement in December by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall that there would be “no scheme of financial compensation”.
During the debate, several Labour MPs said the decision not to award compensation will undermine trust in politics and would be “abandoning” them. Members from all parties shared how they had pledged to help women in their constituencies, whose State Pension age had risen, to get financial redress during last year’s General Election campaign.
Millions of women were affected by the change, first announced in the 1990s, to bring their retirement age in line with men. This was later accelerated under the coalition government, over a decade ago.
However, there was a 28-month delay in writing to inform them of the changes.
Campaigners, led by the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) group, have claimed women suffered financial hardship and had to rethink retirement plans.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s (PHSO) final report, published on March 21, 2024 stated that “Parliament must urgently identify a mechanism for providing that appropriate remedy” and recommended compensation equivalent to level four on its banding scale, which is worth between £1,000 and £2,950.
However, on December 17, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told MPs there would be “no scheme of financial compensation” as the UK Government could not afford the £10.5 billion bill. Ms Kendall acknowledged there was maladministration by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and apologised to all women impacted by changes to their retirement age on behalf of the UK Government.
Labour MP Jonathan Brash (Hartlepool) told the debate that the issue was a “profound injustice” for those affected. He said: “The role of a member of Parliament is not to offer unquestioning subservience to their party. When something is wrong, they have a duty to say so.
“I cannot and will not abandon these women. As a candidate I stood beside them, I held their banners aloft, I pledged their support, I told the WASPI women of Hartlepool that I would always stand by them. That commitment does not and must not end with an election.”
He added: “This is not merely about compensation. It is about trust. It is about ensuring that no citizen, no generation feels abandoned by the institutions that are meant to protect them.”
Clapham and Brixton Hill MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy said the Government had rightly accepted the Ombudsman’s findings and apologised. However, she added: “What good is this apology if there’s not going to be any steps towards redress?”
Ms Ribeiro-Addy later told MPs: “It goes without saying that the mistake was not one made by this current Government. Blame doesn’t lie at their feet. But the responsibility for redress, unfortunately, does.”
Her Labour colleague Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) said: “I know that deciding on compensation will be complicated and costly, but that is not an excuse. It should not be beyond the realms of any parliament or Government to figure this out.”
Conservative former minister Sir John Hayes (South Holland and the Deepings), who called the Westminster Hall debate, said the women had been betrayed.
Sir John said the decision let down voters’ trust in MPs: “That when we make pledges they’re not empty pledges, they’re meaningful. When that trust is breached and broken, the whole of that legitimacy is undermined. Now that is precisely what has happened in the case of the so-called Waspi women.”
He told MPs that a WASPI woman dies every 12 minutes, on average.
“These statistics mask lives, lives altered, lives damaged, lives restricted by this matter,” he said.
Sir John added: “I hope the minister will recognise the strength of feeling across this house, across this country, that this is an injustice that must be put right in the name of the democratic legitimacy.”
Newly appointed Pensions Minister Torsten Bell said: “As custodians of the public purse, we must ensure that decisions are rooted in evidence and fair to everyone.
“The facts remain that the vast majority of women knew the state pension age was increasing, and even for those who didn’t, we know that sending letters earlier would not have made a difference in most cases.”
Angela Madden, Chair of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI), who attended the debate in the public gallery, said: “Labour MPs are in agreement with those across the Commons and the country who are outraged at Starmer’s blatant denial and delay of justice. The Government has made a political choice to continue to turn its back on 1950s-born women by ignoring the orders of the independent Ombudsman.
“As dozens of MPs have again delayed today, it is now up to Parliament to decide how a fair compensation scheme can be delivered. Meanwhile, all options remain on the table to ensure those affected see the justice they deserve.”