I’m calling for clarity from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Rt Hon Pat McFadden MP, on his government’s response to the latest WASPI Campaigners’ Judicial Review.
The WASPI campaign group have brought a further Judicial Review to seek a lawful and just decision from the UK Government on the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman’s recommendations on compensation due to DWP Maladministration. This maladministration centered on issues with the DWP’s communications on changes to state pension age for women born in the 1960s. So far, the UK Government has rejected these proposals despite legal challenges, leading the campaigners to launch a new judicial review.
This is not the first Judicial Review launched by these dogged campaigners who refuse to accept Labour’s decision not to compensate, so I am pleased to continue to support WASPI women in their ongoing campaign for justice. As a result, I have written to Pat McFadden to highlight some key questions on the UK Government’s response to the WASPI’s latest Judicial Review, given Labour’s repeated and unprecedented rejection of the PHSO’s recommendations.
For instance, I am keen to understand why the UK Government is opposing the WASPI’s application for a cost-capping order, despite a similar order being granted by the Court during their previous judicial reviews. In addition, I would like to know the amount of money the DWP has spent so far defending their decision since they first rejected the WASPI’s compensation back in December 2024. This must be at some considerable cost, and it’s questionable whether this is good value for money for taxpayers. After all, the DWP loses £9 billion to fraud every year, whereas WASPI women’s compensation would only amount to about a third of that cost while also making good on the PHSO’s recommendations.
Finally, I’m keen to know when Mr McFadden last met face to face with the WASPIs, indeed when any member of the UK Government sat down with these campaigners as recommended by the Courts on meeting with groups bringing legal challenges. In fact, I believe that Labour has also refused all subsequent requests for Alternative Dispute Resolution with the WASPI’s legal representatives despite further recommendations by the Courts to engage in mediation outside of court whereover possible.
It’s well past time to shine some light on the UK Government’s bad decision making on the WASPI’s compensation row. Should they be successful in this legal challenge, which I sincerely hope they will be, the answers to these questions will be even more important for a Government that has dragged its heels on doing the right thing by these women.
