Veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott has challenged Keir Starmer over the controversial decision to reject compensation for WASPI women.
It follows the government’s annoucement on Tuesday to reject pay outs for the 3.5million women born in the 1950s, who missed out pension payments.
In a powerful Commons intervention, the senior backbencher told the PM: “The WASPI women fought one of the most sustained and passionate campaigns for justice than I can remember.
“Year in year out. We did promise them that we would give them justice. I understand the issue about the cost, but does the PM really understand that how let down WASPI women feel today?” The PM replied: “I do understand, of course I do.”
The Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne also demanded the PM hold a vote on the issue as other backbenchers said they were “in shock” over the government’s decision on Tuesday.
Yesterday the independent MP Rebecca Long Bailey, who co-chairs the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on State Pension Inequality for Women, said the Government’s apology was “not enough” for WASPI women. She said the APPG had found “huge numbers” of women suffering “significant financial hardship”.
The Tory leader Kemi Badenoch also accused the PM of “playing politics” with the WASPI women.
She said: “For years the Prime Minister and his Cabinet played politics with the Waspi women. The Deputy Prime Minister (Angela Rayner) said Conservatives were stealing their pensions. She promised to compensate them in full, another broken promise.
“Now they admit we were right all along. But let’s ask about another group of pensioners whose trust was broken. Since the Chancellor cut winter fuel payments, how many extra people have applied for pension credit?”
But the PM replied: “The number one job of this Government was to put the finances back in order after the last government lost control.
“They left a £22 billion black hole and we had to take tough choices. We made sure the most vulnerable pensioners do get the winter fuel payment and we have been encouraging them and driving up eligibility for pension credit.
“So she should join that campaign, but here’s the difference – because we’ve stabilised the economy, we can commit to the triple lock. That means that next April, pensioners get another £470.”