Call for WASPI women including thousands from Lanarkshire to receive £10,000 compensation

Marion Fellows MP has compared the plight of women campaigning against the change to their state pension entitlement age to those affected by the Post Office and Windrush scandals.

The WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaigners are fighting for justice for all women born on or after April 6 1950 to April 5 1960 who were affected by government’s 2011 Pensions Act which changed the age for them to receive state pension from age 60 to 65.

The Motherwell and Wishaw MP has called on the UK government to provide full compensation for WASPI women before the House of Commons summer recess on July 23, adding that until it does it will remain a “stain on UK justice”.

Thousands of women in Lanarkshire were amongst 2.6 million women across the UK born in the 1950s who were affected by the change.

And it is estimated that up to 270,000 WASPI women have died before seeing any compensation.

The SNP MP compared the issue to the Post Office Horizon scandal and the Windrush fiasco over the huge delays for compensation.

She has called for every woman affected to receive a minimum of £10,000 compensation as a matter of urgency.

The call follows a debate in the House of Commons on Thursday brought by fellow SNP MP Patricia Gibson.

During the backbench debate on the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) report on Women’s State Pension age, the North Ayrshire and Arran MP said the WASPI women have suffered a “gross injustice” and that compensation must come urgently.

Ms Gibson said: “All women in the WASPI movement have distinguished themselves by their effective campaigning against the gross injustice that has been perpetrated against them, in the face of extreme provocation by a government who have been tone deaf to their pleas for justice.”

The PHSO report was scathing of the role of the Department for Work and Pensions and called for the women to be compensated by between £1,000 and £2,950.

But Ms Fellows, along with campaigners and other MPs, has called for compensation to be raised to a “minimum” of £10,000.

During the debate former SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford called for compensation to be settled before the House rises on July 23.

Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Paul Maynard said: “I readily acknowledge the strength of feeling on both sides of the House.

“The government are listening. What colleagues have had to say during the debate, which I have heard, will be taken fully into consideration.

“We are all united in wanting a resolution. The ombudsman’s investigation has taken five years and produced a substantial report that requires careful and considered scrutiny.

“I would like to remind the House of the government’s strong track record of supporting pensioners.”

Following the debate Ms Fellows, who has joined demonstrations with WASPI women, called for compensation to be settled ahead of the summer recess.

She said: “No one can deny the justice of the WASPI campaign.

“The worrying trend here is that everyone agrees that there has been injustice, but like the Horizon scandal and Windrush the compensation is incredibly slow.

“The UK government can fix this by awarding proper compensation before the summer recess.

“Until it does, this will remain as a stain on UK justice.

“THE PHSO report took five years. But now it must be seen as a watershed moment.

“The unjustified state pension changes have saved the UK government £181 billion.

“To pay ten thousand pounds compensation to the WASPI women would still net a saving of £145 billion pounds to the UK Exchequer.

“The UK Government must acknowledge the conclusions of this report, the DWP must apologise and compensation should be forthcoming before the recess. The WASPI women have waited far too long.”

*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.

And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.