Thousands of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaigners affected by State Pension age changes gathered outside Parliament on Wednesday, with their chants heard inside the House of Commons chamber before Rachel Reeves delivered her first Budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Liberal Democratic leader Sir Ed Davey and Green co-leader Carla Denyer have joined other senior MPs in backing WASPI’s calls for f air and fast compensation. More than three million women born in the 1950s were impacted by substantial increases to their State Pension age, leaving tens of thousands struggling to make ends meet.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s (PHSO) final report, published on March 21, 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.
Despite growing calls to action, Chancellor Rachel Reeves made no commitment to compensating those affected during the Autumn Budget statement.
Earlier this month, ministers said they were still considering the findings of the report and repeatedly refused to set out a timeline to respond to it.
With the support of opposition parties and hundreds of Labour and Conservative MPs, WASPI campaigners are urging ministers to bring forward proposals for fair and fast compensation.
Angela Madden, Chair of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI), said: “Millions of women’s retirement plans were thrown into chaos, many suffering extreme financial and mental hardships and this is why we are here today.
“Affected women have been vindicated by the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s report, parliament must compensate all affected women, yet months on we’re yet to receive an official response from the Labour party.
“With one affected woman dying every 13 minutes, we cannot continue to be patient. There are hundreds of MPs from across the House backing fair and fast compensation, now Ministers must deliver.”
Sir Ed Davey MP, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: “The Liberal Democrats have long supported fair and fast compensation for WASPI women, and we will continue to advocate for the millions of women across the country awaiting justice.
“In the absence of a commitment to compensation from the Chancellor today, ministers must urgently implement the findings of the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s report without further delay.”
Carla Denyer MP, co-leader of the Green Party, said: “The Greens stand firmly behind the millions of 1950s-born women who have suffered injustice and must be urgently compensated.
“The previous government kicked the can down the road, and now the Labour Party must act. With the Chancellor failing to commit to compensate those affected today, and tens of thousands of pensioners struggling to make ends meet, ministers must urgently set out their plans to compensate those affected.”