The long fight of millions of women born in the 1950s to win compensation for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) shambolic handling of their State Pension age rises has reached a critical parliamentary moment. This week, a debate is set to take place in Parliament that could finally force the UK Government to confront what the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign calls a “hat trick” of political U-turns necessary to right past wrongs.
DWP facing another parliamentary mauling
As the Daily Record reported:
The Chair of the Backbench Business Committee has announced there will be a parliamentary debate on a motion over “financial redress for 1950s women impacted by the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) maladministration of the State Pension ” this week. Bob Blackman confirmed the debate will take place on Thursday, July 3 during the weekly ‘Business of the House’ session in the Commons.
For these millions of women, the pension age moved swiftly from 60 to 66 with barely enough warning, leaving many facing serious financial hardship in what campaigners see as one of the most damaging government blunders in decades.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) laid bare the DWP’s failings, identifying maladministration for failing to provide adequate, timely communication to affected women and recommending compensation payments of between £1,000 and nearly £3,000 per individual.
Yet despite the clear call from an independent watchdog, ministers have dug in, rejecting financial redress on the grounds that a blanket compensation scheme could cost taxpayers up to a staggering £10.5 billion.
A glaring refusal from the government
The government’s refusal stands out as a glaring contradiction given its own admission of maladministration and apology for a 28-month delay in notifying the women affected. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall contended that most women were “aware” of the pension age increases since they began in 1995 and argued compensation would be unfair and disproportionate to taxpayers.
This stance has enraged campaigners and many MPs, who see it as a dismissal of the very real distress and financial damage suffered by about 3.8 million women born between 1950 and 1955. Critics argue the government’s refusal insults not only the affected women but also undermines the ombudsman’s authority and the principle of fair governance.
The high stakes for the campaigners were underscored in recent weeks when the High Court granted WASPI a critical legal safeguard—a costs capping order that limits the campaign’s liability for legal defence costs to £60,000, shielding them from catastrophic financial ruin and allowing the fight for justice to continue.
This legal protection is vital as WASPI prepares for a judicial review challenging the government’s refusal to offer compensation. The group’s chair, Angela Madden, made clear the emotional and financial toll of this long battle: “Without this safeguard, we faced a real risk of financial ruin—effectively being silenced by the threat of Government legal bills running into hundreds of thousands of pounds. This is the fight of our lives.”
DWP under mounting pressure
Amid mounting political pressure, including calls within Parliament for compensation schemes modeled on those provided to the Windrush generation or Post Office sub-postmasters, the government’s stance remains unchanged. However, the upcoming parliamentary debate scheduled for 3 July promises to bring renewed scrutiny on the DWP’s handling of the issue. Campaigners are hopeful that this political spotlight, combined with ongoing legal challenges, will force ministers to offer financial redress that truly recognises the hardship caused and finally honours the ombudsman’s recommendations.
The refusal to compensate is particularly galling given the extensive independent investigation that revealed the government’s failure to responsibly inform women about pension age changes, causing significant distress and financial difficulty for millions. While the government highlights its broader pension support measures, such as the 8.5% rise in state pensions, many affected women see these as cold comfort after being denied fair compensation for a policy change that disproportionately impacted their lives.
In this ongoing saga, WASPI women are not merely fighting for money—they are standing up for dignity and fairness, demanding recognition from a system that has repeatedly ignored their plight. Their struggle exposes broader failings in the Department for Work and Pensions and a Government too eager to brush aside inconvenient truths at the expense of some of society’s most vulnerable.
Featured image via the Canary
By Steve Topple
This post was originally published on Canary.