I will work with WASPI women to deliver a fair remedy

The Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign is fighting for justice for all women born in the 1950s affected by the changes to the State Pension Age (SPA).

The campaign has been running since 2015 and its main ask is that the Government agree fair and fast compensation to reflect WASPI women’s financial losses and the additional impacts. The group is also calling on the government to act on the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman findings which highlight failings in the way the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) communicated changes to women’s State Pension age.

I have long been a supporter of the WASPI women’s plight, joining the local campaign groups in their activities since 2017. Last week I met with them in Parliament to reconfirm my support now as elected MP for Blackpool South where thousands of my constituents are affected.

The worst affected individuals received just 18 months’ notice of a six-year delay to their State Pension and tens of thousands of women have been plunged into poverty as a result.

I assure all WASPI women in my constituency that the new government is carefully considering what steps to take regarding the PHSO’s recommendations, and it is engaging with women affected.

Lessons must also be learnt from what has happened over recent decades to ensure everyone can properly plan for their retirement. Information about any future changes to the SPA should be communicated in a timely and targeted way to ensure this never happens again.