Waspi campaigners to launch fresh legal challenge against the government over compensation payout
Waspi campaigners have confirmed they are taking new legal action against the Government.
The announcement by the group Women Against State Pension Inequality follows a ruling in January in which women affected by the way state pension age is reported were told they would not receive compensation for a second time.
Campaigners say Labour’s recent local election losses should serve as a warning as Waspi women and their families represent a significant voting bloc in marginal seats.
An earlier decision not to offer corrections has been reviewed following the rediscovery of a 2007 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) review that led authorities to stop sending out automatic pension forecast letters.
Waspi, who has long campaigned for compensation, said in March that lawyers would raise “legal errors” with the government and give his lawyers 14 days to respond.
Angela Madden, chair of the Waspi campaign, said: “The government had every opportunity to do the right thing for Waspi women.
“Instead, they made a political choice that risked alienating voters in hundreds of marginal seats across the country.”
After Labour’s recent local election losses, he said, “the party now has a clear choice: listen to the Waspi women and compensate them fairly, or face the consequences at the next general election.”
Ms Madden added: “We will not be ignored and we will not give up this fight.”
A report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman previously suggested compensation ranging from £1,000 to £2,950 could be appropriate for each of those affected by the way the state pension changes were delivered.
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said in March: “The Secretary of State set out the Government’s position in his oral statement to Parliament, including an admission of mismanagement and an apology to the women affected.
“Our focus now is to deliver an action plan to implement lessons learned in how the DWP communicates state pension issues going forward.”
