Waspi chairman Angela Madden expressed confidence that Prime Minister Andy Burnham will honour his pledge to compensate 3.5 million women affected by state pension age increases.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the 72-year-old campaign leader said Burnham is in "listening mode" and insisted that "if he can do something, he will."
Her optimism comes despite the Prime Minister appearing to row back on support in June by suggesting compensation could take the form of "concessionary travel," a benefit most women born in the 1950s already receive due to their age. Madden argued that Burnham was indicating an intent to act without yet defining the specific measure, calling for direct talks between ministers and campaigners to evaluate options.
"The Prime Minister has a golden opportunity to prove he is a man of the people if he works with us," Madden said. "He might not be able to deliver 100 per cent of what we want, but us Waspis can’t be left with nothing."
Madden and fellow Waspi campaigner Janet Fulster recently sent a second letter in as many months to Burnham urging him to show the "political will" to resolve the issue with "fair and proportionate" redress taking into account the state of national finances. Burnham has yet to respond to the letter.
Women Against State Pension Inequality, known as Waspi, is seeking the maximum compensation recommended by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in early 2024. The watchdog suggested payouts ranging from £3.5 billion, or £1,000 per individual, to more than £10 billion, equivalent to £2,950 per person.
Ombudsman finding of maladministration
The ombudsman's recommendations followed a six-year investigation into how the Department for Work and Pensions communicated state pension age increases during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Five years ago, the watchdog found the department guilty of "maladministration" for failing to provide women with adequate and timely information.
As a result of the communication delays, many affected women did not understand the impact until it was too late to adjust their retirement plans. The financial consequences were particularly severe for single women who relied on the state pension for most of their income.
The pension age increases began under the Pensions Act 1995, which scheduled the female state pension age to rise in steps from 60 to 65 between 2010 and 2020. The Pensions Act 2011 brought forward the qualifying age of 65 for women to 2018, before the state pension age for both men and women rose to 66 six years ago.
Labour government decision and political backlash
Waspi campaigners had initially called for individual compensation of £10,000 during nearly ten years of campaigning on the issue. Although Labour supported Waspi's calls while in opposition, the party omitted any mention of compensation from its 2024 election manifesto.
In late 2024, former Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall rejected the ombudsman's recommendations, telling Parliament that compensation was not a "fair or proportionate use of taxpayers’ money." Kendall claimed most women were already aware of the changes, prompting shouts of "shame" from MPs in the House of Commons.
Just under a year later, the Government agreed to reconsider its stance after new evidence emerged. However, ministers announced early this year that they would stand firm on their decision not to compensate affected women.
Madden expressed outrage over the decision, saying: "I am appalled that Labour stood four-square behind us in our call for compensation, and then let us down when we needed them most." She added that recommendations from a six-year ombudsman probe into government wrongdoing should not be ignored.
Burnham's past commitments to Waspi women
Before becoming Prime Minister, Burnham said in early June that he had "long supported" the Waspi campaign. Aiming a jab at Keir Starmer's administration, Burnham said: "I feel uncomfortable when politicians were all holding up that sort of banner and then it got into government and didn’t do anything."
Burnham added at the time: "So I stick by the campaigns that I support. I stuck by the Hillsborough families. I’ll stick by the Waspi women because they deserve some recompense for the unfairness."
Addressing fears over public spending, Madden dismissed claims that compensation would cost taxpayers £10 billion, arguing that ministers previously used the figure to scare the public. She outlined options to ease the financial burden, proposing a one-off payment spread over two or three tax years.
Madden also suggested that compensation should require an application process, noting that women who knew about the changes would not claim. She pointed out that former Prime Minister Theresa May is in the pool of Waspi women but is very unlikely to put in a claim because she knew about the changes.
Personal impact and campaign statistics
Madden, who lives near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, with her husband Joseph, has personal experience with the pension changes. She left her work as a computer specialist in 2008 at age 54 to care for her ill mother Mary, expecting her state pension in 2014, only to be informed four years later in 2012 that her pension age had been deferred to 2019 at age 65.
Although her husband supported her until she turned 65, Madden noted he should not have had to do so, adding: "For far too long, women had a poor pension deal, both at work and from the State. Yes, things have got better, but wrongs must be righted."
Department for Work and Pensions data highlights broader retirement inequalities, reporting that the median private pension pot for women aged 55 to 59 is £81,000, compared with £156,000 for men.
Waspi currently has 80 per cent public support, roughly 100,000 members, and 150,000 social media followers. Madden warned that a Waspi woman dies every 13 minutes, noting that 450,000 affected women have died since the campaign launched 11 years ago.
Official response from Downing Street
Although Madden expects nothing for Waspi in the upcoming October Budget, she remains hopeful that an official commitment to compensation will arrive within the next year.
When asked by Money Mail whether the Prime Minister would deliver on compensation promises, Downing Street stated that the Government had accepted "maladministration" and issued an "apology to the women affected."
Number 10 added that the Department for Work and Pensions had learned lessons from the ombudsman's investigation and published an action plan to deliver "effective, timely and modern communications on the state pension."
