Not a penny in compensation.
That’s the outcome for Waspi (Women Against State Pension Inequality) women. After years of campaigning and a successful Parliamentary Ombudsman appeal, the Government has responded by just brushing off any liability to pay anything at all.
Waspi campaigners are understandably shocked and angry. Not only do they believe it is wrong for any government to simply reject its own Ombudsman’s recommendations, they also feel a real sense of betrayal that the very ministers making the announcement have in the past campaigned alongside them, promising support.
This perceived hypocrisy will not be easily forgotten or forgiven. It reinforces the perception that this government does not care enough about older citizens. The outright rejection of any support for Waspi is further evidence that pensioners are not a group Keir Starmer’s administration considers a public spending priority.
Deafening silence on sorting out social care plus axing Winter Fuel Payments for most pensioners, with no notice – allegedly to save £1.4bn – were early warning signs. Millions of the very poorest pensioners........