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Women angry over major changes to the state pension age have warned Britain’s politicians that they are ready to make compensation one of the single biggest issues at the general election.
The Waspi (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaign has vowed to put pressure on every single election candidate to commit to an “adequate” compensation scheme.
So-called Waspi women could even decide who wins many of the country’s most marginal contests at the election expected in autumn, regional organisers told i.
There are an estimated 3.6 million Waspi women born in the 50s who expected to start getting pension payments at 60, but had to wait another five or six years due to increases in the state pension age.
Research shows there are 166 constituencies in the UK where the number of local Waspi women exceeds the majority held by the current MP.
“In every county, in every region, there is a local group now contacting and pushing all the candidates to commit to adequate compensation,” said Angela Madden, chair of the Waspi campaign. “We will push every single candidate as hard as possible.”
Ms Madden and eight senior people who run the national Waspi group continue to hold regular Zoom calls to discuss next steps in their fight for compensation.
She and senior colleagues have also held discussions with dozens of MPs in recent months, with a flurry of meetings since March’s damning report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) recommended compensation.
There is growing frustration that neither the Conservatives nor Labour have committed to compensation of any kind – despite the ombudsman asking Parliament to “act swiftly”.
The Liberal Democrats and SNP have both come out strongly in favour of setting up a compensation scheme, calling for an immediate vote in Parliament.
The PHSO suggested that between £1,000 and £2,950 could be paid to women affected by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP)’s failure to adequately inform them that the state pension age had changed.
It would mean setting aside £10.5bn to resolve the long-running issue. Waspi campaigners would like to see a higher sum of £10,000 each, putting the total bill at £36bn.
“We’ve noted some thawing in the position of Labour MPs,” said Ms Madden. “And some Conservative MPs say they don’t think the Government can ignore the ombudsman’s report much longer.”
A handful of Labour backbenchers and a small number of their Conservative counterparts have publicly expressed support for compensation in the weeks since the scathing PHSO report.
But Ms Madden is realistic that the party leaders Sir Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak may continue to duck the issue in the months ahead.
“Even if a commitment to the idea of compensation were made, it may not be a very detailed commitment. So we are going to have to get ready to push all the parties on it at the election.”
The national Waspi team, working with dozens of region organisers around the country, is now gearing up for protests, hustings events and a campaign on social media.
They want a compensation plan in all the manifestos. And they want voters to be able to know exactly where each candidate stands on the issue.
Shelagh Simmons, the 70-year-old organiser of the Solent Waspi group covering the area in and around Portsmouth and Southampton, thinks supporters could play a key role in deciding who wins seats.
The group covers 14 seats on the south coast. It includes two marginals, Tory-held Winchester and Southampton Itchen, where the number of Waspi women is bigger than the majority.
Local campaigners also believe the Tory-held seats of Eastleigh and Winchester are vulnerable to changing hands to the Lib Dems.
“We will get in touch with every candidate – we need to know where they all stand,” said Ms Simmons. “We will keep the pressure up, whether it’s through hustings events and other engagement. It would be silly to think we will have no impact on who wins seats.”
Rosie Dickson, a 66-year-old organiser from the Waspi group covering Glasgow and surrounding areas, said older women and their family members would also have an influence on results in Scotland.
Of the 18 seats up for grabs in Glasgow, Dumbartonshire, Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire, set to be closely fought between Labour and the SNP, the number of Waspi women exceed MPs’ majorities in six of them.
“We can have a big impact,” said Ms Dickson. “The compensation issue is high stakes for Labour here, because so many seats are a straight fight with the SNP.”
She added: “We’re waiting with bated breath for the Labour party’s position in particular, because people know they have a chance of being in government at Westminster. There are votes to be won or lost on the compensation issue.”
Labour declined to comment. A DWP spokesperson said: “We are considering the ombudsman’s report and will respond in due course, having cooperated fully throughout this investigation.”
