WASPI women threaten to drag ministers to court over 'unlawful' compensation snub

Waspi women will today threaten to drag ministers to court over the "unlawful" decision to reject compensation payments.

Campaigners representing the 1950s-born women said they will not allow the Department for Work and Pensions's "gaslighting of Waspi women go unchallenged".

The "letter before action" sent to the department today gives ministers 14 days to reconsider their decision - before the row heads to the High Court. The group has launched a £75,000 Crowdjustice campaign to fund legal action.

Last year a watchdog report said more than three million women born in the 1950s should receive payouts and an apology due to the shambolic handling of the pension age rise. Campaigners say the average victim missed out on over £50,000 in pension payments because they were not informed about the change and could not plan for their future.

But in December the government was accused of betrayal after rejecting calls to pay compensation to 3.5million women impacted by the blunders.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall accepted at the time "maladministration" had taken place -but rejected a watchdog's finding of injustice.

She said providing between £1,000 to £2,950 per person would come at a total cost of between £3.5billion and £10.5billion. And she argued compensation would not be a "fair or proportionate use of taxpayers' money".

But in opposition Ms Kendall and a series of senior Labour figures, including the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, backed the Waspi women campaigners.

Angela Madden, Chair of Women Against State Pension Inequality, said: “We will not allow the DWP’s gaslighting of WASPI women go unchallenged.

"The Government has accepted that 1950s-born women are victims of maladministration, but it now says none of us suffered any injustice. We believe this is not only an outrage but legally wrong."

She added: “Scores of MPs have expressed outrage at the Government’s decision to ignore the independent Ombudsman and refuse compensation despite it clearly being owed. But ministers refuse to listen to their own MPs, and as such we are forced – once again – to take to the courts to obtain justice.

“We have been successful before and we are confident we will be again. But what would be better for everyone is if the Secretary of State now saw sense and came to the table to sort out a compensation package. The alternative is continued defence of the indefensible but this time in front of a judge."