WASPI update as campaigners ‘near’ to securing government action | Personal Finance | Finance
Britons have been showing their support for the WASPI cause as more than 85,000 people have signed a petition calling for compensation for the women.
The WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaign are continuing to pressure the Government to grant payouts for the 1950s-born generation of women who were affected when the state pension age increased for them from 60 to 65.
It has been established that the women were not properly advised of the change by the DWP, and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has also suggested they should get compensation payments, ranging from £1,000 to £2,950. MPs backing the cause have previously urged for payments of £10,000 or above.
The petition on the Parliament website has over 85,500 signatures at the time of writing calling for the Government to “fairly compensate WASPI women”.
As the petition has reached 10,000 signatures, the Government will be required to issue a response. If it reaches 100,000, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.
The petition states: “We call on the Government to fairly compensate WASPI women affected by the increases to their State Pension age and the associated failings in DWP communications.
“We want the Government to urgently respond to PHSO report and set up a compensation scheme by 21 March 2025.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently spoke out to say the DWP would make a statement on the WASPI issue “in the not too distant future”.
A number of his MPs have already come out in support of the campaign, with the recently formed Work and Pensions Committee chaired by Labour MP Debbie Abrahams – she sat on the previous committee when it came out in support of compensation.
Eight Labour MPs have also backed an early day motion calling for a “proper plan” for compensation, which has been signed by 95 MPs.
The Liberal Democrats and the SNP have taken as a party position that the women should get payouts.
WASPI campaign chair, Angela Madden, said previously: “It’s in the Ombudsman’s report: we didn’t get sufficient information, we weren’t informed correctly of the impact of pensions changes on us.
“The Ombudsman has said we deserve compensation and an apology. That is quite clear.”
Data commissioned by the campaign group suggests a WASPI generation woman dies every 13 minutes, meaning 300,000 of them have died without getting their compensation since the campaign launched in 2015.
Ms Madden urged: “Time is running out to fairly compensate those who remain, after an entire generation had their retirement plans destroyed at the last moment.
“We simply cannot afford to wait any longer. With hundreds of MPs across Parliament backing our calls for financial redress, we urgently await the Government’s compensation proposals.”
You can read the petition in full here.