What are Waspi women, and what is the row about their state pension?

In December 2024, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said Waspi women would not receive compensation.

She accepted there had been a “maladministration” in communication, with a 28-month delay in letters being sent out to women, and apologised for this.

But she said research suggested there had been “considerable awareness” among women about the changes to the state pension age, and that there was no evidence of “direct financial loss”.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves defended the decision, telling reporters that “given that the vast majority of people did know about these changes, I didn’t judge that it would be the best use of taxpayers’ money to pay an expensive compensation bill”.

Both Kendall and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously supported the Waspi campaign, but the party didn’t commit to paying compensation in its manifesto ahead of the 2024 general election.

The Waspi campaign described the announcement as an “insult”.

“The government has today made an unprecedented political choice to ignore the clear recommendations of an independent watchdog,” said group chair Angela Madden.

Speaking on Times Radio, the current head of the PHSO, Rebecca Hilsenrath, also criticised the government’s decision: “What we don’t expect is for an acknowledgement to be made by a public body that it’s got it wrong but then refuse to make it right for those affected.”