The Prime Minister has issued a new hint about WASPI payouts with an announcement expected soon.
WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) women have been awaiting a payout from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) worth £2,950.
GB News reported that Sir Keir Starmer has dropped the “biggest” hint about potential WASPI payouts, says Birmingham Live.
Sir Keir Starmer has told press that DWP secretary Liz Kendall will make a statement “on this in the not too distant future”.
WASPI have advocated for support for women who were born in the 1950s and say they did not get adequate warnings about changes to the state pension.
The women have been lobbying Parliament for years over changes made under the 2011 Pensions Act which brought the qualifying age for pensions for women from age 60 to 65, the same as men.
The 2011 legislation accelerated a previous timetable for the increase in age limit, from 2020 to 2018.
The Act affected around 2.6 million women, bringing particular pain to around 300,000 born between December 1953 and October 1954 who were about to retire but who then had to wait an extra 18 months for their pension.
Asked by reporters on the trip to the G20 summit in Brazil why compensation was taking so long, the Prime Minister said: “The DWP secretary will be making a statement on this in the not too distant future.”
He added: “Obviously it’s a very serious report, and the response will be set out by the DWP secretary.”
A DWP spokesperson previously told Birmingham Live: “This was a serious report, requiring serious consideration. We will continue to listen respectfully to the women involved, and ensure we take on board any lessons learnt.”
A report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) found that affected women should have had at least 28 months’ more individual notice of the changes by the Department for Work and Pensions.
It also said that for women who were not aware of the changes, the opportunity that additional notice would have given them to adjust their retirement plans was lost due to delay.
The PHSO further suggested that compensation at level four, ranging between £1,000 and £2,950, could be appropriate for each of those affected.
An announcement is expected in the coming weeks.
