The issue of compensation for WASPI women has been rumbling on for years – so we want to know, do you agree with the government’s decision not to give them compensation?
The Government is facing brutal backlash after rejecting calls to pay compensation to over 3.5million WASPI women over changes to the state retirement age.
WASPI women who have been campaigning for years branded the decision “totally unjustified”.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is now facing their ire after saying compensation would not be a “fair or proportionate use of taxpayers money” despite apologising for her department’s maladministration.
The recommendations were laid out by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, and stated that the government should urgently pay out between £1,000 and £2,950 to each 1950s-born woman affected.
This payout is likely to cost £10.5billion.
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Now, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been hit with a fierce backlash from his own MPs over his decision not to pay WASPI women.
Addressing the Commons during PMQs, Mr Starmer said: “I set out the history but the research is clear that 90% of those impacted did know about the change. In those circumstances the taxpayers simply can’t afford the burden of tens of billions of pounds of compensation, but I do understand the concerns.”
According to No10, there are ‘no plans’ for a vote on the issue.
Many Labour MPs have publicly supported the WASPI campaign while in opposition, including Keir Starmer, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves. The U-turn on support for WASPI women has now upset dozens of backbenchers.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell told The Mirror that there was “a lot of unhappiness” among MPs who felt the party had broken its commitment on the issue. She said: “We must remember that we’re talking about some of the poorest pensioners.
“I just think there’s an expectation that the Labour Party stands by the poor, that’s what we do. Now in Government not to do that, we’ve got to ask what’s the purpose in the Labour Government?”
Despite backlash and now U-turns from Labour ministers, the WASPI women campaign continues to call for compensation and make their feelings known.
So we want to know – do you agree with the government’s decision not to give compensation to WASPI women? Take our poll above and have your say in the comments below!
