Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has gone back on a pre general election pledge to help WASPI women get a 'fair solution'.
Prior to the general election Liz Kendall posed with WASPI women holding a banner which said: "I will work with WASPI to identify and deliver a fair solution for all women affected".
Ms Kendall announced in the House of Commons today that the Labour Government will not be providing WASPI women with any compensation.
The official WASPI account posted to X to let Liz Kendall know she'd broken her promise:
Just a reminder, @leicesterliz of what you promised. Hard to see how your statement refusing #WASPI women justice today is a "fair solution".
This is how Ms Kendall broke the news in the House of Commons.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report put forward a flat rate compensation scheme at level 4 of the Ombudsman's scale of injustice. This would provide £1,000 to £2,950 per person at a total cost of between £3.5 billion and £10.5 billion. Given the vast majority of women knew the state pension age was increasing, the government does not believe paying a flat rate to all women at a cost of up to £10.5 billion would be a fair or proportionate use of taxpayers' money, not least when the previous government failed to set aside a single penny for any compensation scheme and when they left us a £22 billion black hole in the public finances.
-- Liz Kendall, 17th December 2024
https://twitter.com/WASPI_Campaign/status/1869006158037762180
Jeremy Corbyn has even questioned whose side the Labour Government are on. Mr Corbyn posted to X:
It is beyond disappointing that Liz Kendall has rejected any compensation for the WASPI women.
First, the government cuts winter fuel. Now this? Whose side is the government on?
WASPI women have been disgracefully cheated out of their pensions — and they deserve justice.
https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/1869017898129539193
