THE UK Government has been challenged as to whether it will take a Post Office scandal-style TV drama to “embarrass and shame them” into compensating Waspi women.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride on Monday gave the Government’s interim response to a damning report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) on changes to the state pension age.
The PSHO recommended compensation for the women affected, saying that the DWP had failed to communicate changes about how state pensions were changing.
It estimated the cost of compensation to be between £3.5 billion and £10.5bn.
SNP MP Patricia Gibson said Waspi women have been “finally vindicated” by the report but also told the Commons: “The timid response from the Labour Party is truly shocking.”
READ MORE: Unionist campaign chief says WASPI women were 'simply too feckless'
She added: “Financial redress is vital for these women in the interests of justice. Clearly Labour are not interested in that but what we need from the Government is a commitment to prompt compensation for these women, with no barriers erected to prevent access to it, which recognises their financial loss and distress.
“We cannot have a situation where WASPI women have their campaign for justice vindicated yet continue to be ignored and any attempt to do so will result in a rightful backlash.”
Gibson said the party “stands shoulder-to-shoulder” with the women, warning they have been “abandoned and betrayed by the UK Government and the future Labour government”.
She added: “Can the Secretary of State tell this house what it will take to compensate these women. Do we need another TV drama to embarrass and shame them into doing the right thing?”
Stride said that “doing the right thing” was to look at the report “carefully” but failed to commit to paying compensation.
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