Hope on the Horizon: PM Hints at Imminent WASPI Compensation Update for State Pensioners
Protestors from the WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) group demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament
The Prime Minister has suggested that a new announcement concerning state pension compensation for WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) women might be forthcoming in the not too distant future. Sir Keir Starmer has informed the press that Liz Kendall, the Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions, is expected to soon address this issue.
The Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign advocates for women born in the 1950s who argue they were not sufficiently informed about changes to the state pension. When asked by journalists during his visit to the G20 summit in Brazil about the delay in compensation, the Prime Minister replied: The DWP secretary will be making a statement on this in the not too distant future. He further commented: Obviously, it's a very serious report, and the response will be set out by the DWP Secretary.
Earlier this month, pensions minister Emma Reynolds informed the Commons that the Government hoped to be able to update the House in the coming weeks. She explained to MPs: The ombudsman took six years to examine what are a range of complex cases, and we are considering the complexity of those cases. I was the first minister in six years to meet with representatives of the WASPI campaign.
A report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) concluded that affected women should have received at least 28 months' more individual notice of the changes by the Department for Work and Pensions. The report also highlighted that for women who were unaware of the changes, it meant that the opportunity to adjust their retirement plans was lost. The PHSO suggested that compensation at level four, ranging between £1,000 and £2,950, could be appropriate for each of those affected. Reacting to the news, Martin Lewis posted on X: Starmer also told traveling hacks there'll be a statement on the plight of 'WASPI women' in the 'not too distant future'. It's eight months since an ombudsman recommended that some get compensation.
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