Waspi campaigners have accused Sir Keir Starmer of misleading the public by saying 90% of women affected by a change in the pension age knew about it.
The government revealed on Tuesday it would not be compensating millions of women born in the 1950s – known as Waspi women – who say they were not given sufficient warning of the state pension age for women being lifted from 60 to 65.
It was due to be phased in over 10 years from 2010, but in 2011 was sped up to be reached by 2018, then rose to the age of 66 in 2020.
The government said an ombudsman found 90% of affected women knew about the changes so there was no reason to compensate them at an estimated £10.5bn, with Sir Keir telling Prime Minister’s Questions: “The taxpayers simply can’t afford the burden.”
Follow politics latest: ‘I do understand’ Waspi concern – PM
But Angela Madden, chair of Waspi (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaign group, said the 90% figure refers to women who had a “vague awareness” the state pension age “might happen for others in the future”.
She said the ombudsman found 60% of women had “no idea” the state pension age was rising and accused the government of attempting to “cherry pick data”, which she said was “spreading dangerous misinformation, plain and simple”.
Sir Keir using the 90% figure “isn’t just misleading, it’s an insult to millions of 1950s-born women who were blindsided by these changes,” she added.
“Sir Keir Starmer has not heard the last of this issue. The Labour government must act now to address this injustice,” Ms Madden said.
Labour MPs also rounded on Sir Keir as they said the party had promised to get women compensation.
Senior Labour MP Diane Abbott, a Waspi woman herself, criticised the decision as she said the party had promised to give them justice.
“I understand the issue about the cost, but does the prime minister really understand how let down Waspi women feel today?” she told the Commons at Prime Minister’s Questions.
Diane Abbott criticised the government’s decision
Government has ‘no plans’ for vote on compensation
Independent MP Ian Byrne asked if the prime minister would give MPs a vote on whether they believe Waspi women are owed compensation, but Sir Keir’s spokesman said the government had “no plans” for a vote.
Other Labour MPs joined Ms Abbott in their criticism, with Emma Lewell-Buck saying she still stands with Waspi women and was “shocked and disappointed” to learn on Tuesday they would not be compensated.
Kate Osborne said ignoring the ombudsman’s recommendation to pay Waspi women between £1,000 and £2,950 “sets a dangerous precedent”.
“Women are too often left to pay the price, we are the shock absorbers of poverty,” she added.
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Rachel Reeves posed with Waspi women in support of their campaign for compensation in 2020. Pic: Waspi/Facebook
Reeves: ‘I have to account for every penny’
The Chancellor Rachel Reeves defended the decision earlier. She said: “I understand that women affected by the changes to the state pension age will be disappointed by the decision but we looked in full at the ombudsman recommendations and they said 90% of women did know these changes were coming.
“As chancellor, I have to account for every penny of taxpayers’ money spent.
“Given the vast majority of people knew these changes were coming, I didn’t judge that it was the best use of taxpayers’ money to pay an expensive compensation bill for something most people knew was happening.”
Earlier this year, an investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) found thousands of women may have been adversely impacted by failures to adequately inform people of the change.
The watchdog suggested women should receive compensation of between £1,000 and £2,950 – but the findings were not legally binding.
Liz Kendall announced on Tuesday Waspi women would not be compensated, despite previously supporting it. Pic: PA
Govt has ‘refused to make it right’
Following the government’s decision to not compensate the women, the ombudsman criticised the government.
Rebecca Hilsenrath, PHSO chief executive, told Times Radio: “It’s great that the government are saying that our intervention will lead to service improvements and it’s fair to say also that people who come to us, overwhelmingly, are motivated by wanting things to improve for other people.
“But what we don’t expect is for an acknowledgement to be made by a public body that it’s got it wrong but then refuse to make it right for those affected.”
Waspi women said not providing compensation was a ‘bizarre’ move. Pic: PA
Conservative Andrew Griffith, shadow business secretary, told Sky News it was “a big issue of betrayal” by the Labour government.
“I’m not sitting here saying we would necessarily have done something about it. That’s fair,” he said.
“But the point is this government has given everybody the impression that they would, and then they’ve come in, and now they’re saying they wouldn’t. That’s a big issue.
“I can understand people, particularly the Waspi women, feeling enormously let down by that.”
