Diane Abbott shames Keir Starmer over WASPI row in PMQs intervention | Politics | News | EUROtoday

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Diane Abbott has shamed Sir Keir Starmer over the choice to disclaim compensation to WASPI ladies.

Speaking throughout PMQs, the Labour MP requested if the Prime Minister understands how “let down” the group born within the Nineteen Fifties really feel.

Ms Abbott is the most recent Labour politician to talk out after the Government introduced that monetary compensation wouldn’t be awarded to ladies affected by adjustments within the state pension age.

The Mother of the House stated at Prime Minister’s Questions: “The WASPI women fought one of the most sustained and passionate campaigns for justice that I can remember, year in, year out.

“We did promise them that we’d give them justice. I perceive the difficulty about the fee however does the Prime Minister (Sir Keir Starmer) actually perceive how let down WASPI ladies really feel right this moment?”

Sir Keir replied: “I do perceive the priority, after all I do.”

He added: “The analysis is obvious that 90% of these impacted did know concerning the change and in these circumstances the taxpayer merely cannot afford the burden of tens of billions of kilos of compensation, however I do perceive the priority.”

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announced yesterday that Waspi women would not receive compensation despite Labour previously pledging a £58 billion package.

Ms Kendall said: “The Government doesn’t consider paying a flat fee to all ladies at a value of as much as £10.5 billion could be truthful or proportionate to taxpayers.”

Plans to increase the state pension age for women between 2010 and 2020 were initially set out in 1995, although this process was speeded up by the coalition government.

Campaigners, led by the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) group, argued women affected by the changes were required to rethink their retirement plans at relatively short notice and suffered financial hardship.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) found that affected women should have had at least 28 months more individual notice of the changes by the Department for Work and Pensions.

The PHSO also suggested that compensation at level four, ranging between £1,000 and £2,950, could be appropriate for each of those affected.

But Ms Kendall said the UK Government does not believe paying financial compensation would be “truthful or proportionate” to taxpayers.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1990321/diane-abbott-keir-starmer-waspi-pmqs