Waspi compensation update with ‘ticking watch’ at £ 10.5 billion dollars | Politics

Waspi women have launched a legal challenge against the government after it rejected calls to pay billions of pounds in compensation. Women against State pension The inequality (Waspi) organized a protest outside the royal courts of justice on Monday while seeking a judicial review to force the government to reconsider their decision. Work has ruled out a compensation package for women born in the 1950s affected by the way in which changes in the state pension The age was communicated.

The president of Waspi, Angela Madden, said: “We do not want to take legal actions, but we have been forced to do so due to the total denial of government justice. The government now has the opportunity to move around the table and participate significantly with us. If they do not, they will have to continue defending the indefensible, but this time in front of the superior judges. “

A previous report of the defender of the parliamentary people and health service suggested compensation that varies between £ 1,000 and £ 2,950 could be appropriate for each of those affected.

The government said he accepted the discovery of the Ombudsman of Mala administration and apologized for having a delay in the writing of women born in the 1950s. However, in December he said that a general compensation scheme, which could cost taxpayers of up to £ 10.5 billion, could not be justified.

The activists said they have raised more than £ 150,000 in recent weeks to finance a challenge of the Superior Court.

On Monday, parliamentarians discussed a petition signed by more than 160,000 people who demand compensation.

When opening the debate, Dr. Roz Savage described the government’s statement that women should have been aware of changes as “deeply offensive.”

She said that going against the people’s defender’s ruling was an “atrocious lack of transparency and responsibility.”

The Liberal Democratic deputy added: “The clock is working. More than 300,000 women born in the 1950s have died since this campaign began, with an average other that dies every 13 minutes. The solution is clear. The government must now act to compensate Waspi women fairly and quickly. These women have served their community, family and country, and it is time for us to serve them. ”

Labor deputy Jon Tricktt said Labors cannot ignore Waspi women and hastened a “burning sense of injustice.”

Meanwhile, Tory Sir John Hayes criticized the Labor Parliamentarians who before the elections said they would defend Waspi women while urging the ministers to “change course.”

A government spokesman said: “We do not comment on live litigation.

“We accept the discovery of the Ombudsman of Mala administration and we have apologized for having a 28 -month delay in the writing of women born in the 1950s.

“However, the evidence showed that only one in four people remembered having read and received letters that did not expect and that by 2006, 90% of women born in the 1950s knew that the state pension Age was changing.

“The government cannot justify paying for a compensation scheme of £ 10.5 billion at the expense of the taxpayer.”