Some 92 parliamentarians have signed a letter co-ordinated by Labour MP Rebecca Long-Bailey saying not giving women State Pension age compensation was the ‘wrong decision’.Helen Corbett, Press Association Political Correspondent and Linda Howard Money and Consumer Writer

08:04, 09 Feb 2026Updated 09:17, 09 Feb 2026

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More than 50 Labour MPs have urged the UK Government to reconsider its decision not to pay State Pension age compensation to so-called WASPI women (Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign) in the latest sign of backbench unrest.

They were among 92 parliamentarians who signed a letter co-ordinated by Labour MP Rebecca Long-Bailey saying it was the “wrong decision” not to award compensation to an estimated 3.6 million women affected by changes to their State Pension age.

The letter to Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: “We collectively represent millions of women born in the 1950s and express our grave disappointment that the Government has once again chosen to reject compensation for the 1950s women affected by state pension age changes. This was the wrong decision, but you have the opportunity to put this right.”

READ MORE: Pensioners due DWP letter next month which could boost income by £4,300READ MORE: WASPI women call for State Pension age compensation vote in Parliament

The signatories included Labour MPs who have spoken out publicly about their frustrations in recent days, including Rachael Maskell, Paula Barker, Neil Duncan Jordan and John McDonnell.

It also includes a number of Labour MPs from the 2024 intake and senior MPs including Sarah Champion, Cat Smith and Ruth Jones.

It was also signed by MPs from other parties including the SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats.

It comes after the UK Government decided for a second time not to award compensation to 1950s-born women affected by the way changes to the State Pension age were communicated.

WASPI women and other campaign groups have been calling for compensation for over a decade.

Labour’s previous policy not to offer redress was reviewed after the rediscovery of a 2007 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) evaluation, which at the time led to officials stopping sending automatic pension forecast letters out.

Mr McFadden then reconfirmed that no compensation would be offered, telling the Commons last month a targeted compensation programme would “not be practical”, with a wider flat-rate scheme costing up to £10.3 billion.

He said most women in the age group already knew the State Pension age was increasing and that sending an earlier letter to the women affected would have been unlikely to make a difference.

He argued that this was because most of them would not have read and recalled the contents of an unsolicited pensions letter and that those less knowledgeable about pensions were the least likely to have read such a letter.

A report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) had suggested compensation ranging between £1,000 and £2,950 could be appropriate for each of those affected by how State Pension changes had been communicated.

The group of MPs and peers said: “We believe that the PHSO’s advice to Government was clear and ignoring it is not only unprecedented, it also undermines the authority of the Ombudsman and sends a damaging message to the public about how the state responds when it gets things wrong.

“Women pensioners have lost their homes and their savings, and their health has been impacted over this matter. The Government have rightly apologised for the wrong; now they need to put that wrong right.

“We urge you to urgently engage with the impacted women and reconsider this decision again.”

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