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Women who have been impacted by changes to the state pension age have expressed anger after the government once again decided against providing compensation. This follows the government’s reconsideration of the issue prompted by the discovery of a previously undisclosed document, yet the conclusion remained the same: no compensation will be awarded.
According to campaigners, around 3.6 million women born in the 1950s were insufficiently informed about the increase in their state pension age, which was brought into alignment with men’s pensions. Angela Madden, chair of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign, stated that the latest ruling shows “utter contempt” for those affected. Madden criticized the government’s handling, saying, “The government has kicked the can down the road for months, only to arrive at exactly the same conclusion it has always wanted.” She described the government’s choice as “disgraceful,” accusing a small group of powerful individuals of ignoring the harm and injustice experienced by millions of ordinary women.
The government maintains that the majority of women born in the 1950s were aware of the state pension age rise due to extensive public information efforts. These included leaflets, awareness campaigns in GP surgeries, broadcast media such as television and radio, cinema advertisements, and online resources. Despite these efforts, some women have stated they were not adequately informed about the changes. In 2024, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) recommended compensation ranging from £1,000 to £2,950 for those affected. However, while the Ombudsman can suggest compensation, it lacks the authority to enforce it, and the government rejected the proposal.
The review of the case was triggered by a 2007 survey that had not been provided to then-Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall. Following this, Pat McFadden, her successor, committed to ensuring no other documents had been missed. When addressing the possibility of financial redress, the government stated that a flat-rate compensation scheme could cost up to £10.3 billion. It added that such a scheme would be unfair because it would compensate the vast majority who were reportedly aware of the pension age changes. The government also described more individualized compensation as impractical to administer
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