Women feel betrayed by a broken pension promise

A woman in her 70s, thoughtful, with a purple scarf and a WASPI badge. — Shelagh Simmons has been campaigning for WASPI women for almost ten years. (BBC)

Women from the Solent WASPI group have said they feel betrayed by some Labor MPs who promised support during the election period.

Members of the group have been contacting their MPs since the announcement in December that there would be no compensation.

Solent WASPI’s Shelagh Simmons said: “Most of us have been ignored or received the standard government response.”

Asked in Parliament in December, Kier Starmer said the taxpayer “simply cannot afford the burden of tens of billions of pounds in compensation”, but added he understood the concern that the WASPI group would be let down.

The WASPI campaign estimates that 3.6 million women lost out financially because the government failed to adequately communicate changes to the state pension age over several years, meaning people were unable to properly plan for their retirement.

They have been calling for compensation, saying many women were forced to work up to six years longer than expected or face financial hardship later in life.

A group of women and a man holding signs that said "We have earned our pension and we need it now." and "WASPI solent" and "without letter, without notice". They are in Romsey Market Square, in front of the statue of Lord Palmerston. It's a sunny day in 2017. — Solent WASPI group campaigns in Romsey ahead of the 2017 general election (BBC)

Ms Simmons said: “We are baffled why Labor politicians who supported us, campaigning with banners, have now changed their tune.”

She also expressed concern that a parliamentary ombudsman report from March 2024 recommending compensation be granted to women has been ignored.

“Parliament should take care of this, the government has ignored them and has set itself up as judge, jury and sentencing, which is everyone’s problem,” he said.

The BBC has asked all Labor MPs in the Solent area for their response to the group’s claim.

So far only two have responded. Richard Quigley, MP for the Isle of Wight West, said he “understood where the group was coming from” and added that he supported WASPI activists for “genuine reasons”.

He said he understood the government’s decision but was also disappointed.

Neil Duncan-Jordan, MP for Poole, said he did not support the decision to “deny any compensation to those who were clearly let down by the State”.

Ms. Simmons said the campaign was regrouping and evaluating its next step.

“We will move on, if you thought we were going to go away quietly, you have completely misjudged us,” he said.

He said they expected the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on state pension inequality for women to raise concerns at their next meeting.

Two Hampshire MPs, Liz Jarvis (Lib Dem, Eastleigh) and Julian Lewis (Conservative, New Forest East) are members.

A government spokesman said: “We accept the Ombudsman’s conclusion of maladministration and have apologized for the 28-month delay in writing to women born in the 1950s.

“However, the evidence showed that only one in four people remember reading and receiving letters they did not expect and that in 2006 90% of women born in the 1950s knew that the state pension age was changing.

“Previous letters would not have affected this. For these and other reasons, the government cannot justify paying for a £10.5bn compensation scheme at the taxpayer’s expense.”

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