The UK Government has failed to meet with the WASPI campaigners in the last two years since they were elected and since the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) published its report.
The PHSO findings entitled ‘Women’s State Pension Age: Our findings on injustice and associated issues’ recommended compensation due to DWP maladministration while the Conservatives were in power at Westminster in March 2024.
Pre the 2024 General Election, many Labour MPs and party candidates pledged their support for the WASPI women’s plight, but on taking office as the next UK Government, failed to accept the findings of the PHSO and refused compensation. Subsequently, there is no record of any meeting with WASPI women in an official capacity at Westminster since September 2024.
I believe there is a real disconnect between the Government’s warm words for the WASPI campaign pre-election and its lack of action post-election on implementing the recommendations of the PHSO. As has been noted on numerous occasions, it is unprecedented for a UK Government to refuse to accept a Parliamentary Ombudsman’s findings; to add insult to injury, it is disingenuous to infer support for a campaign before voters take to the polls to then reverse your position once in power.
Perhaps this is why Ministers at the DWP are so reluctant to meet these campaigners in person. I’m sure it would be very uncomfortable for them to explain face to face to women so badly failed by their government why they should not receive compensation and yet victims of other scandals should. Because Westminster has been plagued by injustices in how members of the public have been mistreated by public bodies in the last few years. Given the Government is finally in the process of acting to compensate those affected by the Infected Blood scandal, the Post Office scandal and now, hopefully the nuclear test veterans as well, it is well beyond time that the Labour government recognise that WASPI women’s need compensation needs addressed too.
In Parliament this week in reply to my suggestion for Labour to U-turn on another of their policies turned bad, the Pensions’ Minister highlighted how compensating WASPI women was never an actual Labour manifesto pledge. I fear this makes the UK Government look even more hypocritical in their numerous photo op poses with WASPI campaigners only to back pedal once they could make a real difference in government to the injustice suffered by these 1950s born women.
The UK Government need to relocate their backbone, meet with WASPI women, listen to their concerns and suggestions for ways to implement a full and comprehensive compensation scheme as recommended by the PHSO, and make good on the pledges they made so readily before they came to power.
