SCOTTISH Labour MSPs look set to back the SNP Government in their calls for compensation for Waspi women – although the UK Government has once again ruled it out.
The news comes ahead of the Holyrood debate led by the Scottish Government on Tuesday, which will see Social Justice Secretary Shirley Anne-Somerville ask MSPs to back a motion calling for the Labour Government “to compensate Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) women as recommended by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman [PHSO]”.
In a report in March 2024, the PHSO suggested compensation of between £1000 and £2950 per person due to failures in communicating changes in the state pension age to women born in the 1950s.
However, despite figures including now-Prime Minister Keir Starmer backing the calls for compensation while in opposition, Labour have declined to pay any compensation.
Scottish Labour drew a line between themselves and their UK bosses on the issue, with both group leader Anas Sarwar and depute Jackie Baillie saying their decision not to pay out was the wrong one.
The topic will again come into focus on Tuesday, as Somerville leads a debate on her motion calling for Waspi women to be compensated.
Only one amendment has been tabled to the SNP Government motion, from the Scottish Labour group in the name of MSP Paul O’Kane. However, it does not remove calls for compensation.
Instead, it only asks MSPs to acknowledge that the Labour Government has “apologised to women who have been impacted as a result of maladministration” and agree that it should now “look at all options for remedy, particularly for those most adversely impacted”.
It comes as figures from the House of Commons Library, requested by the Scottish LibDems, suggested there are 331,780 Waspi women north of the Border.
“It is vital that the UK Government and DWP [Department for Work and Pensions] take responsibility for these failings and this includes delivering a full compensation package at the earliest possible time,” the SNP minister went on.
“I call on the UK Government to listen to the Waspi women’s call for comprehensive compensation, taking into account the financial hardship suffered, coupled with the UK having one of the worst gender pension gaps in the OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development].”
The Scottish Greens also called for compensations, saying that the “politicians that have misled them and used them just to win votes must apologise too”.
Green MSP Maggie Chapman went on: “It is shocking that Waspi women have been used in this way, only to have politicians turn their backs on them.
“Far too many women have died without resolution or justice. Keir Starmer can and must act to deliver justice.”
The LibDems called the number of women impacted “shocking”. MSP Beatrice Wishart added: “The UK Government has turned its back on millions of women who were wronged through no fault of their own, ignoring the independent ombudsman’s recommendations, and that is, frankly, disgraceful.
“The UK Government must urgently change course and rethink this shameful decision.”
However, the UK Government has pre-emptively declined to heed the calls, which are all but certain to resoundingly pass a Holyrood vote on Tuesday.
A Labour Government spokesperson said: “We accept the ombudsman’s finding of maladministration and have apologised for there being a 28-month delay in writing to 1950s-born women.
“However, evidence showed only one in four people remember reading and receiving letters that they weren’t expecting and that by 2006 90% of 1950s-born women knew that the State Pension age was changing.
“Earlier letters wouldn’t have affected this. For these and other reasons the government cannot justify paying for a £10.5 billion compensation scheme at the expense of the taxpayer.”
