Hopes dashed as Waspi women' again denied state pension compensation

"Millions of Waspi women will not receive any compensation, the government has again decided in its latest ruling on the case but campaigners say they will fight on to secure the justice they say they have been shamefully denied. As many as 3.6 million women born in the 1950s are said to have lost out because of government failings in the way changes to the state pension age were made, prompting the launch in 2015 of the Waspi (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaign."

"Just over a year ago, ministers prompted an outcry when they said they were denying compensation to any of the women in this category, despite the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) having ruled in March 2024 that those affected should be compensated. Then in November last year, just weeks before a potentially bruising high court legal challenge was due to begin, those affected were given fresh hope that they might receive payouts when the government said it would reconsider the decision."

"However, the work and pensions secretary, Pat McFadden, announced that after reviewing the evidence, the government had come to the same conclusion as in December 2024, and none of those affected would get a payout. He said a flat-rate compensation scheme that paid out to all women born in the 1950s would cost up to 10.3bn and would simply not be right or fair, as most of the women had been aware of the pension changes."

Millions of women born in the 1950s will not receive compensation after a government review upheld its refusal to pay out. Up to 3.6 million women may have been affected by changes that raised the state pension age from 60 to 65 and then to 66. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman ruled in March 2024 that those affected should be compensated, but ministers initially denied payouts and a later reconsideration still led to rejection. The work and pensions secretary cited costs up to £10.3bn for a flat-rate scheme and said targeted compensation would be impractical. Campaigners say many women lost thousands and had retirement plans disrupted.

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