THE SNP are set to force a vote in the House of Commons next week demanding the Labour UK Government offers compensation to Waspi women.
The party’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn will present a bill in Parliament on Tuesday which is expected to command cross-party support, including from at least some backbench Labour MPs.
It comes after the Scottish Parliament voted unanimously this week to demand the UK Government provide financial compensation for Waspi women.
On Tuesday, every single party backed the Scottish Government’s motion to send the “strongest possible signal” to Westminster.
Despite recommendations from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, the UK Government has opted not to give compensation to 1950s-born women whose retirement plans were thrown into disarray by changes to the state pension age.
Flynn said: “Waspi women have been badly let down by the Labour Party, in particular, who have broken yet another election promise by refusing to offer any compensation despite previously saying they would.
“It's time to stop the broken promises and make good on their word.”
The DWP’s handling of the pension age changes meant some women lost opportunities to make informed decisions about their finances, which diminished their sense of personal autonomy and financial control, the ombudsman said in its report in March.
Labour ministers have come under fire for the party’s refusal to offer compensation, given many campaigned with Waspi women and posed for photos with them promising they would fight to ensure justice was delivered, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Flynn called on Scottish Labour MPs to “do the right thing” and back calls for compensation.
"I am pleased that the SNP Waspi compensation bill already has cross-party support from MPs of all the main parties – but, with a supermajority in parliament, what matters now is how Labour MPs choose to vote,” he went on.
On Wednesday, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar refused to clarify how MPs from his party would vote were there to be a poll called at Westminster.
However, Labour MSP Michael Marra seemed to suggest the day before that they would support compensation.
Asked how Scottish Labour MPs would vote if one occurred, he replied: "Many of the members the minister [Shirley-Anne Somerville] talks about were at the APPG [All-Party Parliamentary Group] last week setting exactly the position we have laid out today and I fully anticipate that's exactly how they will pursue it in Parliament if a vote is brought in the future."
The text of the SNP bill is as follows: “That leave be given to bring in a bill to require the Secretary of State to publish measures to address the findings of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in its report entitled 'Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues'; to require the Secretary of State to publish proposals for a compensation scheme for women born between 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1960 inclusive who have been affected by increases in the state pension age; and for connected purposes.”
