WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaigners have launched new High Court legal action against the DWP’s decision not to compensate the 1950s-born women impacted by changes to the state pension age.
The WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaigners have reignited their fight for DWP compensation. Labour announced in January 2026 that there would be no payouts for the 1950s-born women represented by WASPI and other campaign groups.
WASPI has fought for more than a decade to secure compensation for the generation of women affected by their state pension age rising from 60 to 65 and subsequently to 66, aligning it with men’s. Their argument centres on inadequate notification from the DWP about the change.
They claim many women remained oblivious until the last minute, with their retirement arrangements shattered when they discovered their state pension would not commence for several additional years. In rejecting compensation, the Government argued that the majority of women were aware of the change, and earlier notification letters would have had minimal impact.
This position came despite the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman examining the matter and concluding there was ‘maladministration’ by the Government. The watchdog proposed payments between £1,000 and £2,950, reports the Express.
New legal challenge
However, WASPI has revealed it is pursuing fresh legal proceedings against the DWP’s refusal to provide compensation. They are seeking a judicial review of the decision at the High Court. Angela Madden, chair of the WASPI campaign, said: “The Government has had every opportunity to do the right thing for WASPI women. Instead, they have made a political choice that risks alienating voters in hundreds of marginal seats across the country.
“Labour MPs have seen the electoral data. They know WASPI women have the numbers to unseat them. Yet ministers continue to ignore the independent Ombudsman, their own backbenchers, and millions of voters.”
A fair compensation amount
Hannah Martin, women’s pensions expert and founder of www.richretiree.com, backs the campaign and believes the WASPI women are deserving of compensation. She said: “I believe they should be awarded compensation. But it’s difficult to ascertain what is a ‘fair’ amount, as the financial impact hasn’t been the same for every woman.
“A flat payment scheme would be much simpler to administer, however this could lead to some women still being left out of pocket, and others receiving more than they lost. Some kind of simplified graduated scheme would be fairer.”
When asked whether the WASPI women stand a realistic chance of ultimately securing compensation, she said: “That’s a tricky question to answer, given Keir Starmer’s change of stance on the issue. In 2018 he rightly said WASPI was ‘a real injustice’ and that ‘we need to do something about it.’ And yet, when given the opportunity to act on these words as Prime Minister, he backed out, blaming lack of money.
“That said, I would never underestimate a determined, angry group of women. The WASPI women are undeterred in their campaign and they appear to have a considerable amount of support backing their legal challenge.”
Numerous individual MPs have previously declared their backing for the WASPI cause. Several political parties have likewise long championed compensation, amongst them the Liberal Democrats, the SNP and the Green Party.
All three parties achieved notable victories in the recent local elections. Ms Martin expressed her hope that this would strengthen support for the WASPI cause, saying: “It’s certainly an emotive issue that impacts and touches a significant number of people across the UK. But politicians have a habit of championing popular issues when campaigning, only to back away from action once they are in a position to actually make a change – as we have already seen with Keir Starmer.”
Ms Madden said: “After losing nearly 1,500 seats in the recent local elections, the [Labour] party now has a clear choice: listen to WASPI women and compensate them fairly, or face the consequences at the next General Election. We will not be ignored, and we will not give up this fight.”
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