Waspi women blast Labour's 'ridiculous' response to landmark report into state pension injustice
The Waspi campaign have slammed Labour's response to the PHSO's report
PA
The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign has slammed the Labour Party's "ridiculous" response to calls for the proposed compensation payment for women born in the 1950s.
Last week, Sir Keir Starmer's party criticised the Conservative-led Government for failing to put forward a payout amount for the 3.6 million women affected negatively by the equalisation of the state pension age between men and women.
However, campaigners are calling the Official Opposition out over not signing off on its own proposed compensation package for women hurt by this historic injustice after the reports carried out by the Parliament and Heath Service Ombudsman (PHSO).
Responding to an open letter from the Waspi campaign, the party shared its sympathy to those affected by pension changes but stopped short of recommending a set compensation payout.
A Labour spokesperson said: "These women have been through so much and have campaigned tirelessly on this issue. It's only right that we consider this report with the seriousness it deserves because lessons must be learnt.
"The Ombudsman rightly said that it was for the government to respond. The Secretary of State promised to update Parliament but has failed to do so.
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The WASPI campaign has fought to address historic inequality women has faced WASPI "Like many other issues, the Government has kicked it into the long grass, despite having months to respond, leaving so many in the dark.
"Only they have the appropriate level of detail and engagement with the Ombudsman, and if we're privileged enough to come into office, we’ll pick that work up at pace, and reach a judgment."
Taking to social media, the official Waspi campaign described this response as "ridiculous" and urged Labour to help women if it wins the General Election on July 4.
The campaign posted: [The] Labour statement on Waspi is full of holes. The ombudsman report is public. All detail is there. It does not require 'judgement'. It requires implementation."
In 2021, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was found guilty of "maladministration" by the PHSO when the state pension age was equalised between men and women.
Millions of women are believed to have been negatively affected by the DWP's handling as many were not adequately informed of the change.
This led to many being unable to prepare their pension savings sufficiently enough for retirement.
In March, the ombudsman published its follow-up report which proposed a Level 4 amount of compensation to those affected which comes to around £1,000 and £2,950.
This proposal was warmly welcomed by the Waspi campaign but is a far cry from the £10,000 amount floated by campaigners earlier this year.
An estimated 270,000 people are expected to have died without compensation or an apology with activists citing that "one Waspi woman dies every 13 minutes".
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The Tories have gone a step further and promised to introduce the "triple lock plus" if it wins the election on July 4.
Under this policy, the tax-free allowance for pensions would be increased in line with the triple lock.
This would be done to stop older Britons paying money to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on their state pension, mitigating the impact of fiscal drag.
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