The Department for Work and Pensions has agreed to issue a fresh decision within 12 weeks following settlement with campaign group
WASPI campaigners have been battling for a decade to secure compensation
The Government has issued an update on the ongoing controversy surrounding WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) compensation. For over a decade, the WASPI campaign and other advocacy groups have been battling to secure DWP compensation for women born in the 1950s who were impacted by the rise in the state pension age from 60 to 65 and then 66.
They maintain that these women were not sufficiently informed about the changes and should therefore receive payouts, as many were caught unawares at the last minute, throwing their retirement plans into disarray. An inquiry by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman suggested compensation amounts between £1,000 and £2,950, concluding that the DWP should have dispatched letters to the women sooner.
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Despite this, in December 2024, the Labour Government declared they would not offer any compensation, arguing that most women were cognisant of the change.
Ministers also argued that dispatching the letters earlier would have had little effect. Despite this setback, WASPI successfully petitioned for a judicial review, set for December 2025.
However, at the last moment, the DWP announced it would reverse its decision not to award compensation, and that it would reconsider the decision. Numerous individual MPs, as well as several political parties including the Liberal Democrats, back the WASPI cause, reports Lancs Live.
The Liberal Democrats have been longstanding advocates for this cause, and with 72 MPs now sitting in Westminster, their voice carries considerable weight. Lib Dem MP Luke Taylor submitted two written parliamentary questions to the Government on the matter.
‘Work is underway’.
His first enquiry asked whether there were any plans “to take steps to provide compensation” for the affected women, whilst his second question queried whether the Government would implement the PHSO’s previous recommendations. Pensions minister Torsten Bell provided a unified response to both questions.
He said: “As my right honourable friend the Secretary of State announced in his oral statement on 11 November 2025, we have decided to retake the decision made last December as it relates to the communications on state pension age.
“The work is underway, and we will update the House on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached.”
Pensions minister Torsten Bell provided an update about the WASPI issue(Image: Parliament TV)
After the DWP’s announcement that it would reconsider the decision, it reached a settlement with WASPI to resolve matters out of court, resulting in the judicial review being dropped.
DWP pays out £180,000.
According to the settlement terms, the DWP will deliver a fresh decision within 12 weeks and pay £180,000 towards WASPI’s legal costs. WASPI campaign chair Angela Madden spoke at the time to welcome the development.
She stated: “The Government should be in no doubt that WASPI stands ready to return to court early in the new year if it yet again fails to do the right thing by accepting the reality of injustice caused by DWP maladministration and the compelling need to offer meaningful remedies to WASPI women. There must be no more delay and no more denials.”
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