The UK Government has denied compensation to 3.6 million women affected by state pension changes for the second time. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden announced Thursday in the House of Commons that a review reached the same conclusion as the previous rejection in December 2024.
The Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign has fought since 2015 for redress after the government did not adequately inform women born between 1951 and 1960 about pension age increases. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman had recommended compensation between £1,000 and £2,950 per person, potentially costing up to £10.5 billion.
McFadden apologized for communication delays but said the government agreed with the ombudsman's finding that women suffered no direct financial loss. "We accept that individual letters about changes to the state pension age could have been sent earlier," he told the Commons. "And I am sorry that those letters were not sent sooner."
The government launched its review in November 2025, specifically examining how pension changes were communicated rather than the policy itself.
WASPI condemns decision
Angela Madden, chair of WASPI, said the decision showed "[...] utter contempt for 1950s-born women, for Parliament and for the Parliamentary Ombudsman." She described it as a "[...] disgraceful political choice by a small group of very powerful people who have decided the harm and injustice suffered by millions of ordinary women simply does not matter."
Madden added: "The government has kicked the can down the road for months, only to arrive at exactly the same conclusion it has always wanted to."
WASPI is now taking legal advice. "[...] all options remain on the table," Madden said in a statement. "We stand ready to pursue every avenue in Parliament and in the courts to secure the justice that has been so shamefully denied."
Background on pension changes
The 1995 Pensions Act first announced plans to equalize women's state pension age with men's by 2020, raising it from 60 to 65. The Coalition government accelerated this timeline in 2011, moving the target to 2018 and further increasing the age to 66.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
