WASPI girls accuse Labour of turning its again on them
Women hit by changes to the state pension age have accused the Labour Party of turning its back on them, after Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves dismissed their claim for compensation.
The Shadow Chancellor has sparked outrage after saying she would not make, in the election manifesto, any provisions to compensate women affected, in what is being seen as a major U-turn.
In March, a long-awaited ruling found that millions of women born in the 1950s had been failed by the Government and could be owed up to £10.5billion in payouts.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman said the affected women had ‘lost opportunities to make informed decisions about their finances’ as a result of maladministration by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Key members of the Shadow Cabinet, including Sir Keir Starmer, have previously supported the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign.
Pictured: People at a Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) protest outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on April 18 this year
Pictured: Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, who dismissed the women’s claim for compensation
Ms Reeves has even been pictured holding a placard that reads: ‘I will work with WASPI to identify and deliver a solution for all women affected.’
The ruling was initially hailed as a major victory for the long-fought WASPI campaign but activists now fear they may not receive any payouts.
The Tories have refused to commit to any payouts and Labour, whose responsibility it may be after the general election, has now seemingly followed suit.
Ms Reeves told Daily Business: ‘Our manifesto will be published shortly, but I’ve said we won’t put forward anything that is not fully-costed and fully-funded and I have not set out any money for this.’
Angela Madden, of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign, blasted Labour’s ‘disregard’ for the Ombudsman’s ruling.
Pictured: Women from the WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaign assemble outside Parliament during Prime Minister’s Questions on International Women’s Day on March 8 last year
Chairwoman of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI), Angela Madden (pictured)
Pictured: People at a Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) protest outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on April 18 this year
She said: ‘This has gone on long enough. While politicians dither and delay, the women affected are dying at a rate of one every thirteen minutes.
‘There is no point in having an Ombudsman if governments – blue and red alike – are just going to ignore its recommendations. And Rachel Reeves surely can’t be saying a Labour government would just show wilful disregard for his conclusions. We deserve better from both the big parties.’
In a letter to Ms Reeves, campaigners said: ‘Now, with Labour a stone’s throw from power…hundreds of thousands of WASPI women already feel badly let down, as it appears Labour is preparing to turn its backs on us at the eleventh hour.’
