THE Scottish Government should step in to pay Waspi women compensation because the Labour Government will not, the UK Pensions Secretary has said.
Liz Kendall argued that the SNP should pay compensation for subsequent Westminster governments’ failures after she told the Commons that Waspi women would get nothing beyond an apology from the Labour administration.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) had in a report in March suggested compensation of between £1000 and £2950 per person due to failures in communicating changes in the state pension age to women born in the 1950s.
However, speaking to MPs on Tuesday, Kendall said that no compensation would be paid.
SNP MP Kirsty Blackman then challenged the Pensions Secretary on comments from Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
She said: “Anas Sarwar said, ‘under my leadership Waspi women will finally receive the justice they deserve’.
“Is the justice they deserve being paid less than their male counterparts throughout their career?
“Is the justice they deserve being sacked or forced to resign from their jobs when they had children?
“Is the justice they deserve the removal of the Winter Fuel Payment?
“Why are the Labour Government absolutely determined to take every opportunity to screw over 1950s-born women?”
Responding, Kendall said: “I am proud of the last Labour government's record on helping the lowest paid women pensioners and the improvements that we delivered. This is not about that issue.
“This is about the way the state pension age was communicated. If the honourable lady wants a different approach, then the Scottish, the SNP Government in Scotland can do a different approach using the £4.9 billion settlement we have provided, the biggest ever in the history of devolution, if they want to take a different approach.”
The Labour Government’s decision not to pay Waspi women compensation was slammed by campaign chair Angela Madden.
She said: “The Government has today made an unprecedented political choice to ignore the clear recommendations of an independent watchdog which ordered ministers urgently to compensate Waspi women nine months ago.
“This is a bizarre and totally unjustified move which will leave everyone asking what the point of an ombudsman is if ministers can simply ignore their decisions. It feels like a decision that would make the likes of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump blush.”
