Conservative women slam Labour’s pension hypocrisy over Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) decision
For immediate release Wednesday 18th December
Two female Conservative council candidates in Wiltshire have described Labour’s refusal to honour their pledges to WASPI women as “a cruel, calculated blow to women.”
The announcement by Labour follows the Ombudsman’s earlier finding that there had been maladministration between 2005-07 under the last Labour Government.
In opposition, Keir Starmer and the Labour Party promised to back pensioners, farmers, and small businesses. In return, they were willing to support Labour candidates across the country who they believed would keep to their word.
Annabelle Sanderson, the Conservative candidate for Corsham Without, said there would be thousands of WASPI women in Wiltshire who had been “discarded once they were no longer needed by Labour.”
Miss Sanderson said the treatment of the women was “a slap in the face for women who have lost out due to the maladministration of the previous Labour government."
“There are thousands of women in Wiltshire who would have believed Labour’s promises that they wanted to deliver compensation for WASPI women, including many who may have voted specifically on that issue.
"What message does it send to other women that those now in their 60s and 70s can be treated in this way for no reason other than the year they were born?
“We have now been shown the value we should all give to Labour’s promises.
“Now that Starmer has secured their votes which gave them power they will join the farmers, those in rural communities, small businesses and millions of elderly people in being hurt in favour of Labour’s union mates.
“Labour attempted to sneak this announcement in, before Christmas, with no warning because they lack the courage to take responsibility for their choices, which are being paid for by pensioners in Wiltshire."
Alison Broome, the Conservative candidate for Royal Wootton Bassett East, said it was "devastating news for the WASPI women who hoped the government, having supported them when in opposition, would have honoured the findings of the Ombudsman."
"This is yet another betrayal from Labour," she added.
“This Labour government has been characterised by their assault on pensioners – from the WASPI women hypocrisy to their decision to scrap ten million Winter Fuel Payments.
"For many, this announcement will come as a shock following the past support and promises in opposition from senior Labour figures – including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall.
"The Labour Government is leaving a long trail of broken promises because they were willing to do and say anything to get elected, even if they knew they would not deliver it and women in Wiltshire will suffer because of it."
Helen Whately MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions said:
“It’s no surprise that Labour have broken the promises they made to WASPI women in opposition"
“Yet again, they said one thing to get elected and are now doing another. Just like they had ‘no plans’ to take the Winter Fuel Payment from 10 million pensioners. They shouldn’t expect to get away with this hypocrisy.
“Instead of trying to blame their decisions on everyone else, for once they should own the choice that they’ve made.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The Labour Government announced there would be no compensation for WASPI women:
- Liz Kendall announced the Labour government would not financially compensate WASPI women. In a statement in the House of Commons, Kendall said financial compensation would not be ‘fair or proportionate’ (Sky News, 17 December 2024, link).
Labour spent years in opposition promising compensation for WASPI women:
- Keir Starmer signed a pledge backing ‘fair and fast compensation’ WASPI women. Keir Starmer backed the WASPI campaign and was photographed with a pledge sign reading ‘I support fair and fast compensation for 1950s women’ (The Daily Express, 12 March 2022, link)
- Angela Rayner said that the government ‘stole’ the pensions of women born in the 1950s and Labour would compensate them for the money they lost. RAYNER: ‘The Government failed the women who were born in the 1950s, they stole their pension, that contract, that agreement that they thought they had and then accelerated it so that those women didn’t have the chance to prepare for that. We’ve said that we’ll right that injustice and within five years of the Labour government we’ll compensate them for the money that they’ve lost’ (BBC Politics, Twitter, 24 November 2019, link).
- Rachel Reeves supported the WASPI campaign, including photographed with a WASPI pledge card to ‘identify and deliver a fair solution to all women affected’. ‘More for International Women's Day 2020 which is tomorrow 8th March. Rachel Reeves MP was at the University of Portsmouth for an International Women's Day event to speak about her book “Women of Westminster: The MPs Who Changed Politics.” Solent WASPI members say it was a fascinating evening and were delighted that Rachel supports our campaign for state pension justice’ (WASPI, Facebook, 7 March 2020, link).
- Tulip Siddiq was photographed with a ‘fair and fast compensation’ WASPI placard. ‘Thank you for pledging your support for #WASPI women in the past Tulip Siddiq if you are re-elected please do all you can to secure #FairAndFastCompensation for us.’ (WASPI Campaign, Twitter, 19 June 2024, link).
- Pat McFadden posted a picture of a group of MPs, including himself, as ‘campaigning for a better deal for WASPI women’. ‘MPs campaigning for a better deal for WASPI women’ (Pat McFadden, Twitter, 30 November 2017, link).
Conservative record on increasing the State Pension:
- The Conservatives protected the Triple Lock and uprated the State Pension by £900 in April 2024, protecting pensioners’ incomes. The Conservatives protected the Triple Lock which was introduced in 2011 and uprated the State Pension by 8.5 per cent this April in line with average earnings growth, meaning pensioners are receiving up to £900 more a year (HM Treasury, Autumn Statement 2023, 22 November 2023, link).
- The Conservatives increased the State Pension by £3,700 since 2010. From 1 April 2024, the Conservatives had increased the basic State Pension by £3,700 since 2010 in cash terms – which is £990 more than if it had been uprated by prices, and £1,000 more than if it had been uprated by earnings since 2010 – ensuring pensioners have the income they need to live in dignity thanks to the Triple Lock (HM Treasury, Spring Budget 2024, 6 March 2024, link)
Background:
- In 1995, the Government equalised the State Pension age for men and women. The 1995 Pensions Act and subsequent legislation raised the State Pension age for women born on or after 6 April 1950, addressing the long-standing inequality between men and women. No women saw their State Pension age change until 2010 at the earliest, 15 years after the legislation was passed.
- Since the PHSO launched its inquiry into the communication of changes to the State Pension Age, the DWP has cooperated fully. As the Chief Executive of the Ombudsman herself has set out, the DWP has always fully co-operated with the Ombudsman and their investigation, providing a huge volume of evidence for their review.
- In 2020, both the High Court and Court of Appeal found no fault in the actions of the Department for Work and Pensions. The courts found that under successive governments dating back to 1995, the DWP acted entirely lawfully and did not discriminate on any grounds.
- The PHSO report was looking into the communications of the change in State Pension age and the maladministration that took place between 2005-07 under the previous Labour Government. Following the PHSO’s report in 2022 that concluded that maladministration under the last Labour Government between 2005-07 had caused injustice, their report into the DWP’s communication of the changes is now complete. The report states that the Ombudsman did not find the changes resulted in women suffering direct financial loss.