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WASPI fury as minister says there will be no payouts despite DWP failure

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden has announced there will be no compensation for millions of 1950s-born women despite new evidence coming to light and sparking a review

[There will be no compensation for millions of WASPI women, the Government has confirmed]

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There will be no compensation for millions of WASPI women, the Government has confirmed(Image: PA)

Millions of WASPI women will NOT receive compensation following a fresh review, the Government has announced.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told the Commons that despite new evidence coming to light, payouts will not be awarded to around 3.6million women. He claimed an overwhelming majority of 1950s-born women affected by pension age changes knew it would happen - so spending billions of pounds would be unfair to taxpayers.

It is likely to set up a messy court showdown between campaigners and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Campaigners accused the Government of showing "utter contempt" for affected women, while MPs branded it a betrayal.

[Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said payouts would be unfair]

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Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said payouts would be unfair(Image: PA)

Worst-affected women were plunged into poverty when the State Pension age was raised and the DWP failed to properly communicate the change. But rejecting a compensation scheme, Mr McFadden said: "The evidence shows that the vast majority of 1950s-born women already knew the State Pension age was increasing thanks to a wide range of public information, including through leaflets, education campaigns, in GP surgeries, on TV and radio, in cinemas, and online.

"To specifically compensate only those women who suffered injustice would require a scheme that could reliably verify the individual circumstances of millions of women. That includes whether someone genuinely didnt know their State Pension age was changing and whether they would have read and remembered a letter from many years ago and acted differently.

"It would not be practical to set up a compensation scheme to assess conclusively the answers to these questions. As for a flat rate scheme that would cost up to 10.3billion and would simply not be right or fair given it would be paid to the vast majority who were aware of the changes."

The Government has faced pressure to reverse its decision not to award compensation of 1,000 to 2,950 to 3.6million women. WASPI had been set for a court clash at the start of December demanding a judicial review - but legal action is on hold pending the outcome of the latest review.

In 2024 the Government apologised for a 28-month delay in sending letters informing affected women of the pension age change, but rejected any kind of financial payouts. This was despite the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) recommending MPs immediately set up a compensation scheme.

[Angela Madden, chairwoman of WASPI campaign, hit out at the decision ]

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Angela Madden, chairwoman of WASPI campaign, hit out at the decision (Image: Victoria Jones/PA Wire)

WASPI chairwoman Angela Madden said: "Ministers have demonstrated their utter contempt for 1950s-born women, for Parliament and for the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

The Government has kicked the can down the road for months, only to arrive at exactly the same conclusion it has always wanted to. This is a disgraceful political choice by a small group of very powerful people who have decided the harm and injustice suffered by millions of ordinary women simply does not matter.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman says economic circumstances should not be used as an excuse to deny compensation. The Government has magically found billions to fund policies not made in their election manifesto, proving money can quickly become available when ministers consider something a priority.

WASPI is taking legal advice, and all options remain on the table. We stand ready to pursue every avenue in Parliament and in the courts to secure the justice that has been so shamefully denied.

Late last year research from 2007 about the effectivenesss of sending letters emerged, which were not available when the Government's decision was made. Mr McFadden agreed to review this information before making a final decision.

But he told the Commons: "Of course I also asked the department not just to consider the 2007 report but also to undertake new searches as part of an extensive review of relevant historical documents to help inform the new decision.

"Mr Speaker, we accept that individual letters about changes to the State Pension age could have been sent earlier. For this, I want to repeat the apology that My Right hon Friend (former Work and Pensons Secretary Liz Kendall) gave. On behalf of the Government, I am sorry those letters were not sent sooner.

"We also agree with the Ombudsman that women did not suffer any direct financial loss from the delay. However, the question is about the impact of the delay in sending theseletters.

"The evidence taken as a whole, including from 2007, suggests that themajority of 1950s-born women would not have read and recalled thecontents of an unsolicited pensions letter, even if it was sent earlier."

Labour backbencher Barry Gardiner said: "Only two years before the general election the now Prime Minister spoke in favour of a just settlement for WASPI women. I acknowledge what he said, that this was not contained in our manifesto.

"We did not make that promise in the manifesto, and it's a manifesto that we all stood on. But he will recognise that there is a real sense of injustice that is being done to those women."

And Lib Dem work and pensions spokesman Steve Darling said: "There are more than 3.6 million WASPI women across the UK who will feel as if it were a punch in the stomach. They will feel utterly betrayed and they will feel betrayed because false hope was given to them in the autumn. And so those that hope has been dashed."

Fellow Lib Dem Rachel Gilmour said Mr McFadden: "I have thousands of WASPI women in my constituency, which is already a very deprived constituency. I cannot express how angry they feel and how disappointed they feel today.

"And I am afraid I am going to have to use strong language. This is simply gaslighting by this Labour government."

Campaigners have raised more than 250,000 to fund their legal challenge. Failures at the DWP meant the decision to increase the state pension age for women was not properly communicated. The worst-affected were plunged into poverty after being unable to plan for the future as a result.

These women were impacted by their state pension age increasing from 60 to 65 and then 66. UNISON general secretary Andrea Egan said: "This decision slams the door on justice for a generation of women who lost out through no fault of their own.

"They've had years of delays and false hope, but the government's chosen to stand by a flawed process rather than do the right thing. Tens of thousands of women had the rug pulled from beneath them. They had little notice of key changes to their pensions and no chance to plan."Many have been forced to work longer, burn through savings or deal with poverty in retirement. Ministers must urgently rethink this decision. By doing nothing they're deepening the sense of betrayal and alienating women who did everything asked of them."UNISON will continue to support and fight for Waspi women to ensure they get what's owing to them and for what they feel is a fair deal."

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