The Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign is calling on the UK Government to make amends for what it describes as the last ‘political blunder’ of the Labour Government by compensating women affected by the alterations to their State Pension age.

Following recent policy reversals on Winter Fuel Payments and proposed amendments to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), WASPI is pressing for a third U-turn.

Angela Madden, chairwoman of WASPI, said: “Winter Fuel Payments and the PIP are but two of Labour’s major political mistakes and betrayals. Compensation to WASPI women should now make for a hat trick of U-turns.”

Madden further stated: “The independent Ombudsman’s report was clear in endorsing compensation for 1950s-born women. Ministers should stop wasting taxpayers’ money fighting us in court and agree to honour that recommendation.”

Last week, WASPI announced a legal development in their pursuit of a High Court challenge, having obtained a crucial legal protection.

The group is pushing for a judicial review with the aim of compelling the UK Government to re-evaluate its stance on refusing a compensation scheme for women who were disadvantaged by the way changes to the State Pension age were communicated, reports the Daily Record.

On June 23, WASPI revealed that a cap has been set on the campaign’s potential costs for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) defence expenses.

According to WASPI, the DWP has consented to a costs capping order, which offers financial protection to both parties in case of a loss in court.

The campaigners have already announced that they’ve been given the go-ahead for a court hearing, finding their claim is legitimate.

A report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) in March 2024 suggested a compensation payout of £1,000 to £2,950 each for those affected could be on the cards.

However, in December 2024, the UK Government rebuffed the idea of a blanket compensation scheme potentially costing the taxpayer an eye-watering £10.5 billion, despite acknowledging maladministration and apologising for delays concerning correspondence with women born in the 1950s.

Campaigners laid out their legal arguments in February, challenging the decision to withhold compensation from these women.

WASPI has negotiated terms to cap its liability for UK Government legal costs at £60,000, providing some financial protection against possible ruinous expenses.

Nevertheless, the campaigners continue to plead for donations to their legal “fighting fund,” to cover not only the capped costs but also the fees of the legal team fervently battling the case.

Angela Madden, chairwoman of WASPI, said: “Without this safeguard, we faced a real risk of financial ruin – of effectively being silenced by the threat of Government legal bills running into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

“We now have the certainty we need to press on – but the costs of fighting this case remain very real.”

She concluded resolutely: “This is the fight of our lives.”

A DWP spokesperson stated: “We do not comment on live litigation. We 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.”

MPs will soon speak in a parliamentary wrangle over “financial redress for 1950s women impacted by the DWP maladministration of the State Pension”. Bob Blackman announced that the debate is slated for Thursday, July 3.