Women feel betrayed by broken pension promise

Women from the Solent WASPI group have said they feel betrayed by some Labour MPs who pledged support during the election period.

Members of the group have been contacting their MPs since the announcement in December that there would be no compensation.

Shelagh Simmons from Solent WASPI said: "Most of us have been ignored or had the standard government reply."

Asked in December in parliament, Kier Starmer said the taxpayer "simply can't afford the burden of tens of billions of pounds of compensation" but added he understood the concern the WASPI group would feel let down.

The WASPI campaign estimate 3.6 million women lost out financially because the government did not adequately communicate the changes in the state pension age over a number of years, meaning people could not properly plan for their retirement.

They have been asking for compensation, saying many women were forced to work up to six years longer than expected or face financial hardship in older age.

Mrs Simmons said: "We are baffled why those Labour politicians who stood with us, campaigning with placards, have now changed their tune."

She also raised concerns that a report from a parliamentary ombudsman in March 2024 recommending compensation be given to the women has been ignored.

"Parliament should be dealing with this, the government has bypassed them and set itself up as judge, jury and sentencer, which is an issue for everybody," she said.

The BBC has asked every Labour MP in the Solent area for their response to the group's claim.

At this time, only two have replied. Richard Quigley, the MP for Isle of Wight West, said he "understood where the group is coming from" adding he stood with WASPI campaigners for "genuine reasons".

He said he understood the government's decision but was also disappointed by it.

Neil Duncan-Jordan, the MP for Poole, said he didn't support the decision to "deny any compensation to those who were clearly let down by the state".

Mrs Simmons said the campaign was regrouping and assessing its next move.

"We will keep going, if they thought we were going quietly go away, they've misjudged us completely," she said.

She said they hoped the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on state pension inequality for women would raise concerns when it next meets.

Two Hampshire MPs, Liz Jarvis (Lib Dem, Eastleigh) and Julian Lewis (Conservative, New Forest East) are members.

A government spokesperson said: "We accept the Ombudsman's finding of maladministration and have apologised for there being a 28-month delay in writing to 1950s-born women.

"However, evidence showed only one in four people remember reading and receiving letters that they weren't expecting and that by 2006 90% of 1950s-born women knew that the State Pension age was changing.

"Earlier letters wouldn't have affected this. For these and other reasons the government cannot justify paying for a £10.5 billion compensation scheme at the expense of the taxpayer."

You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.