ANAS Sarwar and Scottish Labour MPs have “broken their promises to Waspi women”, the SNP have said, after the overwhelming majority failed to vote for a compensation bill.
MPs backed Stephen Flynn’s Women’s State Pension Age (Ombudsman report and compensation scheme) Bill in the Commons on Tuesday by 105 votes to 0.
It would require ministers to publish measures to address the findings of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) report, which recommended the UK Government pay compensation to women born in the 1950s who were not adequately informed the state pension age was being raised from 60 to 65.
The UK Government last month ruled out a compensation package despite Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves being among the senior ministers to support the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign when Labour was in opposition.
In Tuesday’s vote, just one Scottish Labour MP – Brian Leishman – showed his support for the bill while the rest opted to abstain.
Leishman was one of just 10 Labour MPs who defied the Government to back a call for compensation.
Flynn said Tuesday’s vote shows Scottish Labour MPs are “incapable of standing up for Scotland”.
He said: “After today's vote, it's clear that Anas Sarwar and Labour MPs have broken their promises to Waspi women and shown they are incapable of standing up for Scotland.
The vote will be seen as a symbolic show of support for the compensation proposal as private members’ bills introduced by MPs face a battle to become law if they do not receive Government support and fail to secure parliamentary time to clear the necessary stages.
However, Flynn has called for the UK Government to make time in the parliamentary business schedule for the bill to progress.
"Despite the failure of Labour MPs to vote for the Waspi compensation bill today, it has passed its first hurdle as a result of SNP and opposition party votes,” he added.
“Now the UK Government must make time in the parliamentary schedule to ensure the bill can progress. "Women born in the 1950s have been repeatedly promised compensation - and it's vital for justice and trust in politics that the Labour Government now honours the promises made."
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has previously he felt the UK Government's decision to not issue compensation was "wrong".
Earlier this week, Professor Rob Johns, who was a founding investigator on the Scottish Election Study series, said Sarwar should not pretend he is in charge of Scottish Labour MPs at Westminster and be “humble and honest enough” to admit this.
