'Landmark' reached in Waspi campaign for legal challenge to Government
The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) group is seeking a judicial review to force the Government to reconsider its decision to rule out a compensation package for women affected by the way changes to the state pension age were communicated.
The campaigners said they have received an update to say that their case is arguable, setting them on course for a court hearing.
READ MORE: SNP activists reveal HQ silenced Reform strategy warnings
A previous report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PSHO) suggested compensation ranging between £1,000 and £2,950 could be appropriate for each of those affected.
But in December 2024, the Government said that, while it accepted the ombudsman's finding of maladministration and apologised for there being a delay in writing to 1950s-born women, a blanket compensation scheme, which could cost taxpayers up to £10.5 billion, cannot be justified.
Waspi campaigners submitted arguments back in February for a legal case challenging the decision not to compensate women.
(Image: PA)
Lawyers for the campaigners argue that the Government's reasons for concluding that people should not receive any remedy are a breach of legal principles.
Waspi said it also expects a hearing to consider its application for a costs capping order, so that campaigners would not be forced to pay unknown costs to cover the legal fees should they lose.
READ MORE: John Swinney defends 'two-horse race' comments after by-election loss to Labour
The group said that it may be forced to withdraw its challenge without this financial safeguard. It is also calling on supporters to help raise further funds for the legal challenge.
Waspi chairwoman Angela Madden described the green light in its legal challenge as a 'landmark moment in our campaign'.
She said: 'We are grateful for the funds raised so far and understand the country's purse strings are tight, but the Government cannot be allowed to brush this injustice aside.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
26 minutes ago
- Daily Record
New DWP update on future plans for State Pension Triple Lock
The Triple Lock policy determines the State Pension uprating from April each year. Under the Triple Lock, the New and Basic State Pensions increase each year in-line with whichever is the highest between average annual earnings growth from May to July, Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation in the year to September or 2.5 per cent. Over the 2025/26 financial year, the State Pension will cost the UK Government an estimated £145.6 billion. However, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announced on Monday that a long-term commitment to theTriple Lock is not in the scope of the resurrected Pensions Commission. The Commission last met in 2006 to tackle the issue of working age adults failing to put enough money into their retiremen t savings. Experts have warned that people looking to retire in 2050 are on course to receive £800 per year less than current State Pensioners. The commission is expected to provide recommendations for how to boost retirement income in 2027. Ms Kendall was asked if she thought it was impossible to maintain the Triple Lock guarantee given its cost and if she could guarantee it would be in Labour's next manifesto. She said: 'The Triple Lock is out of scope of the commission. We've got a very clear commitment to that for the entirety of this Parliament. 'And what we're asking the commission to do is genuinely look medium to longer term, the middle of this century, and how the state pension and second pensions work together.' The Office for Budget Responsibility recently said that the Triple Lock has already cost three times more than initially expected and suggested it was unaffordable in the long term. The Labour Government has previously pledged to honour the Triple Lock for the duration of this Parliament. Ms Kendall also confirmed that the next statutory UK Government review into when and how to raise the State Pension age will start work now. She explained: 'Unless we act, tomorrow's pensioners will be poorer than today's, because people who are saving aren't saving enough for their retirement.' Lowering the age and earnings threshold at which people are brought into auto-enrolment and as well as looking at easy-access 'sidecar' savings accounts will be among the options the commission looks into. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said 45 per cent of working-age adults were putting nothing into their pensions. The previous pensions commission recommended automatically enrolling people in workplace pensions, which has seen the number of eligible employees saving rise from 55 per cent in 2012 to 88 per cent. DWP analysis suggested 15 million people were under-saving for retirement, with the self-employed, low-paid and some ethnic minorities particularly affected. Around three million self-employed people are said to be saving nothing for their retirement, while only a quarter of people on low pay in the private sector and the same proportion from Pakistani or Bangladeshi backgrounds are saving. Women face a significant gender pensions gap, with those approaching retirement in line to receive barely half the income that men can expect.
Powys County Times
30 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Sizewell C nuclear power plant construction to cost £38bn as investors sign deal
The Government has announced the construction of the Sizewell C nuclear power plant in Suffolk will cost around £38 billion, as it struck a deal with a group of investors. The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) said Energy Secretary Ed Miliband had signed the final investment decision for the development. The Government will become the biggest equity shareholder in the project with a 44.9% stake. New Sizewell C investors include La Caisse with 20%, Centrica with 15%, and Amber Infrastructure with an initial 7.6%. It comes alongside French energy giant EDF announcing earlier this month it was taking a 12.5% stake – lower than its previously stated 16.2% ownership. The final deal clinches the investment needed to deliver the long-awaited nuclear plant since it was first earmarked for development in 2010. It also confirms the cost of Sizewell C's construction, which was forecast to be about £20 billion by developer EDF five years ago. DESNZ said the cost is about 20% cheaper than the development of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset. Sizewell C will power the equivalent of six million homes and create some 10,000 jobs once it is operational, which is expected to be in the 2030s. Mr Miliband said: 'It is time to do big things and build big projects in this country again – and today we announce an investment that will provide clean, homegrown power to millions of homes for generations to come. 'This government is making the investment needed to deliver a new golden age of nuclear, so we can end delays and free us from the ravages of the global fossil fuel markets to bring bills down for good.' Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: 'La Caisse, Centrica and Amber's multibillion-pound investment is a powerful endorsement of the UK as the best place to do business and as a global hub for nuclear energy. 'Delivering next generation, publicly owned clean power is vital to our energy security and growth, which is why we backed Sizewell C.' Chris O'Shea, Centrica's chief executive, said Sizewell C was a 'compelling investment for our shareholders and the country as a whole'. 'This isn't just an investment in a new power station – it's an investment in Britain's energy independence, our net zero journey, and thousands of high-quality jobs across the country,' he added.
Western Telegraph
44 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Sizewell C nuclear power plant construction to cost £38bn as investors sign deal
The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) said Energy Secretary Ed Miliband had signed the final investment decision for the development. The Government will become the biggest equity shareholder in the project with a 44.9% stake. New Sizewell C investors include La Caisse with 20%, Centrica with 15%, and Amber Infrastructure with an initial 7.6%. It comes alongside French energy giant EDF announcing earlier this month it was taking a 12.5% stake – lower than its previously stated 16.2% ownership. Mr Miliband said: 'It is time to do big things and build big projects in this country again – and today we announce an investment that will provide clean, homegrown power to millions of homes for generations to come. 'This government is making the investment needed to deliver a new golden age of nuclear, so we can end delays and free us from the ravages of the global fossil fuel markets to bring bills down for good.'
