The Ombudsman previously said there should be compensation for 1950s-born women
Iqbal Mohamed MP has been calling for compensation for 1950s-born women in Parliament(Image: Parliament TV)
An MP backing the WASPI cause (Women Against State Pension Inequality) has urged the Government to finally deliver compensation. The WASPI campaign has been fighting for over a decade for compensation for 1950s-born women.
Despite the Government announcing last year there would be no payouts, many individual MPs back the cause and are continuing to urge the Government to change course. Independent MP Iqbal Mohamed wrote to the Government in July 2025 calling for ministers to finally provide compensation.
In his letter to then Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, he urged the Government to “reverse the Government’s deeply disappointing decision not to compensate the women born in the 1950s and 1960s”. He said the DWP’s refusal to implement the Parliamentary and Health Service’s recommendations for compensation was “an injustice that must be swiftly corrected”.
Mr Mohamed asked recently in the Commons, on October 27, about when he would get a response to his letter. Pensions minister Torsten Bell responded to say he would “look into the details of the letter”.
The WASPI issue ‘demands redress, not dismissal’
Mr Mohamed told LancsLive on October 30 that he had still not yet received a response. He said: “Many of these women had no warning of the changes to their state pension age, leaving them with insufficient time to make alternative financial arrangements.
“This has caused not only financial hardship but emotional and mental distress on a scale that cannot be ignored. The Ombudsman clearly found that the DWP failed to communicate these changes adequately, disproving claims by the DWP that a great majority of women knew the state pension age was increasing. This is a 75-year-old failure that demands redress, not dismissal.”
He said he had raised the WASPI issue in Westminster “on many occasions” since sending his letter in July. He urged: “For the WASPI issue to be resolved it is imperative that the Government reviews their decision and ensures they deliver fair and fast compensation to all women affected whether those who are fighting for the cause and those who have passed away.
“I continue to call for the recommendations of the Ombudsman to be fulfilled in full. Labour pledged to right this historic wrong, and now they have the opportunity to make it right.”
What is the WASPI controversy about?
WASPI is one of several campaign groups that represents women born in the 1950s who were affected by the state pension age increasing from 60 to 65 and then 66. They claim the women were not adequately informed of the change by the DWP, with many unaware right up to the last minute, ruining their plans for retirement.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman carried out an investigation, and found the DWP made major mistakes and should have sent out a letter about the changes sooner. The group also recommended payouts ranging from £1,000 to £2,950.
But the Government announced at the end of last year there would be no compensation. Labour made the case that most women did know of the change and that it would have made little difference to send out the letters sooner.
Ministers also said it would be a poor use of taxpayer funds to pay compensation. But the WASPI campaign has applied for a judicial review of this decision.
The high court will hear the case on December 9 and 10. A DWP spokesperson said previously: “We do not comment on live litigation. 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, we do not agree with the Ombudsman’s approach to injustice or remedy and that is why we have decided not to pay compensation.”