WASPI FURY GROWS: MPs Clash With DWP as Pension Age Recommendations Finally Thrown Into the Spotlight

The WASPI campaigners are continuing to fight for DWP compensation.

WASPI campaigners at a protest

WASPI campaigners have been fighting for over a decade to get DWP compensation (Image: Getty)

The WASPI campaign (Women Against State Pension Inequality) has doubled down on its calls to get compensation. The campaigners have fought for over a decade to get payouts from the DWP for the millions of 1950s-born women affected by the increase in the state pension age for women, from 60 to 65 and then 66.

They claim that the DWP failed to properly inform the women of the change, with many of their retirement plans ruined when the found out at the last minute. They are awaiting the Government to issue a new decision on the question of how the issue should be remedied.

Labour announced in December 2024 that there would be no compensation, despite the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman previously recommending the women should get between £1,000 and £2,950, after they investigated the matter. However, ministers did accept the Ombudsman’s conclusion that there was ‘maladministration’ on their part, as they should have sent out letters to the women sooner.

Ministers then announced in December 2025 that they would re-take the decision. This was just before the DWP was due to appear in the high court for a judicial review of the original decision, which WASPI had applied for.

Appearing before the committee on January 21, DWP permanent secretary Peter Schofield explained the reason for the delay. He said: “There’s a formal, serious exercise going on, which is retaking a really important decision by Government.

Representatives of WASPI were there in Parliament to watch the DWP give account. Speaking afterwards, WASPI campaign chair Angela Madden said: “We didn’t expect much from the committee meeting because it’s more to do with the performance of the DWP.”
But she said they will continue to push for compensation. She said: “Our focus will remain on encouraging the minister to implement the Ombudsman’s recommendations in full rather than picking or choosing.”

The new decision is set to be announced by early March. This date was agreed as part of an out-of-court settlement between DWP and WASPI, to settle the judicial review claim.

WASPI has called on their supporters to email their MPs about the issue, to demand that they are finally awarded compensation.

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