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The Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign (WASPI) has said that the UK Government has agreed to a 'speedy and thorough' reassessment of whether women born in the 1950s should receive compensation. A court hearing scheduled for Wednesday has now been cancelled.
A special hearing had been scheduled to address concerns raised by the WASPI campaign, which would determine whether a judicial review trial planned for December 9 and 10 should proceed. The group, which represents millions of women across the UK affected by the way changes to the State Pension age were communicated by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) under successive governments, said the agreement means these court dates have now been cancelled.
Ministers have pledged to make 'best endeavours' to reconsider potential compensation within 12 weeks, or by February 24, and to cover more than half of WASPI's legal costs, according to the group. Last month, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden, also said that the UK Government will reconsider its decision not to award compensation to the affected women, according to the Daily Record.
In 2024, a report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) suggested that compensation amounts between £1,000 and £2,950 could be appropriate for each of those affected. In December 2024, the UK Government acknowledged the Ombudsman's finding of maladministration and apologised for delays in contacting women born in the 1950s. Despite this, ministers concluded that a blanket compensation scheme, which could cost taxpayers up to £10.5 billion, could not be justified.
Recent court proceedings have led to the rediscovery of a 2007 DWP evaluation, which resulted in officials ceasing to send automatic pension forecast letters. WASPI has maintained that insufficient information led women to plan their finances based on incorrect assumptions, forcing them to work longer or face financial difficulties.
The organisation said that the judicial review will be paused while the UK Government reconsiders its compensation decision, although it could restart proceedings at a later stage. Angela Madden, chairwoman of WASPI, said: "Yet again, WASPI has held its nerve and yet again, virtually at the steps of the court, the Government has backed down, this time accepting last year's decision denying the huge injustice suffered by WASPI women simply does not withstand scrutiny.
"The agreement on speedy and thorough reconsideration is welcome, but the Government should be in no doubt that WASPI stands ready to return to court if it yet again fails to do the right thing." Ms Madden also expressed her gratitude to supporters and donors of the legal campaign, adding: "Ministers have to front this up now and accept the reality of injustice meted out to 1950s-born women. Further delays and denials just will not do."
However, a spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions told the PA news agency: "This is a mischaracterisation, the WASPI campaigners have agreed to withdraw their judicial review following our commitment last month to retake the decision. We will retake the decision as soon as possible."
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