Waspi women see state pension changes claim rejected by government

Women born in the 1950s who missed out on state pension payments have been dealt a further blow, after the government “again rejected” their calls for compensation, said the BBC.

The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) group claimed 3.6 million women now in their late 60s and early 70s were given inadequate or no notice concerning a rise in the state pension age that brought them into line with men.

But affected women have reacted “with fury” after the government came to the same conclusion as in December 2024, following a review of the matter over the last months.

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Meanwhile, around 100 MPs have now signed a letter to the government, urging it to “urgently” compensate 1950s-born women who say they have “suffered a clear injustice” regarding their state pension, said The National.

Who are the Waspi women?

The Waspi campaign is “fighting for justice for all women born in the 1950s” who were affected by changes to the women’s state pension age, which increased from 60 to 68 between 2010 and 2018 to align with men’s state pension age.

The group insists the age alteration was implemented with “too little notice”, said MoneyWeek, consequently leaving many “unable to plan adequately for retirement”.

What has happened?

Women affected by the state pension decision took their complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and were told the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) did not adequately inform thousands of women that their state pension age had changed.

The result was that women “lost opportunities” to make informed decisions about their retirement, impacting their “personal autonomy and financial control”, the report stated.

Ultimately, the review by the ombudsman, published in March 2024, ruled in favour of the Waspi women, deeming that the DWP was guilty of “maladministration”. It recommended payments of between £1,000 and £2,950 to the affected women, which would “put the total bill at up to £10.5 billion”, said The i Paper.

In December 2024, the government accepted the verdict, but “dismissed the recommendation of compensation”. Though Labour accepted historic miscommunication about state pension changes while in opposition, it later concluded “taxpayer-funded compensation could not be justified”.

What is the latest development?

Nearly a year later, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said the government would “retake” its previous decision to reject the rejected recommendation. However, McFadden added that such a move “should not be taken as an indication” that the government will decide to issue compensation.

Now it appears, this statement has come to fruition, with the secretary confirming the government had reached “the same conclusion as announced in December 2024”. He expressed the government’s agreement with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman that women “did not suffer any direct financial loss from the delay”.

What next for Waspi women?

Angela Madden, chairwoman of the Waspi group, accused the government of showing “utter contempt” for affected women. “The Government has kicked the can down the road for months, only to arrive at exactly the same conclusion it has always wanted to,” she said.

Waspi’s legal fight against the government is also likely to continue, despite the most recent developments. The group has raised more than £270,000 to fund its legal challenge, while also securing a costs-capping order in June 2025.