Women born in the 1950s will not get thousands of pounds in state pension compensation despite “maladministration” from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Pensions Minister Liz Kendall announced earlier this afternoon.
However, the Labour minister’s rejection of a recommended payout from the Parliament and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is a noticeable policy departure from her previously held public views.
On her website, past support for the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) can still be found despite Kendall confirming thousands of women will not be awarded up to £3,000 in compensation following a perceived historic injustice.
Waspi campaigners have lobbied consecutive Governments to address inequities arising from the state pension age equalisation between men and women. Some 3.8 million are believed to have been affected by the decision with many claiming to have been left unable to sufficiently prepare their finances for retirement.
Back in 2019, Kendall wrote on her website: “Waspi is a campaign group representative of 3.8 million women born in the 1950s who have been adversely affected by the mismanagement of increases to their State Pension age.
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Liz Kendall is under fire for her previous support for the Waspi campaign
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“As a result of changes made in 2011, women across the UK are now suffering financial hardship – with 3,300 women affected in Leicester West alone. This injustice can’t go on.
“I have been a longstanding supporter of the Waspi campaign and I was proud to meet Waspi women again in Parliament recently to sign their pledge and reaffirm my commitment to support their campaign.”
Taking to X, the campaign tagged Liz Kendall and reminded the Leicester West MP of her previous pledge to support women impacted by historic changes to the state pension.
Waspi campaigners posted: “Just a reminder, @leicesterliz of what you promised. Hard to see how your statement refusing Waspi women justice today is a ‘fair solution’.”
An initial report by the Parliament and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) found the DWP guilty of “maladministration” back in 2021. The ombudsman found that thousands of women were inadequately informed of the changes.
In March 2024, the PHSO’s follow-up report recommended a Level 4 payout to women born in the 1950s which comes to between £1,000 and £2,750. However, the ombudsman cited that it was the responsibility of parliamentarians to agree and vote on a compensation package.
Despite campaigns, petitions and protests, women born in 1950s were finally told their goal of “fair and fast compensation” would not be implemented by this Labour Government.
Angela Madden, the Waspi campaign’s chair, described Liz Kendall’s decision as an “unprecedented political choice” and compared the Government’s actions to that of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Madden’s campaign has received support from MPs across the political spectrum with the Liberal Democrats and SNP being most vocal in their calls for a payout scheme. Ex-Labour MP Rosie Duffield slammed her former party for failing to stand by Waspi women over the years.
She shared: “The women have been campaigning for justice for years and years, heard many empty promises and vacuous pledges from MPs. What a kick in the teeth today. I am ashamed and angry, and so very sorry. It isn’t good enough, Parliament has failed you.”
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Rosie Duffield, former Labour MP, has slammed the Government
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Earlier today, Kendall told MPs: “These two facts: that most women knew the state pension age was increasing and that letters aren’t as significant as the Ombudsman says, as well as other reasons, have informed our conclusion that there should be no scheme of financial compensation to 1950s-born women, in response to the Ombudsman’s report.
“The alternative put forward in the report is for a flat rate compensation scheme, at level four of the Ombudsman’s scale of injustice, this would provide £1,000 to £2,950 per person at a total cost of £3.5billion and £10.5billion.
“Given the vast majority of women knew the state pension age was increasing, the Government does not believe paying a flat rate to all women at a cost of up to £10.5billion would be fair or proportionate to taxpayers.”
A DWP spokesman said: “Introducing such a scheme is neither fair nor feasible and would not represent good value for taxpayers. Therefore, no financial compensation scheme will be set up.”
