Waspi ladies newest: Starmer faces rising Labour revolt after ‘breaking promise’ on pensions | EUROtoday

Sir Keir Starmer will face an end-of-term grilling from senior MPs on Thursday after a gap few months in workplace which have seen Labour’s ballot scores plummet.

The Prime Minister will take questions from the Liaison Committee for the primary time since being elected in July.

The panel is made up of the chairs of Commons choose committees, and Sir Keir will face questions throughout a variety of Government departments.

Among the members of the committee are former Conservative cupboard minister Steve Barclay, and chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Tories Bob Blackman.

Keir Starmer faces a rising Labour revolt after being accused of breaking a promise to compensate Waspi ladies.

Up to 50 Labour MPs might vote towards the federal government’s choice to rule out spending £10bn compensating the ladies, The Independent understands.

Waspi refers to a girl born between 1950 and 1960 who was deprived by the 1995 Pensions Act, which elevated their pensionable age from 60 to 65.

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Independent MP Ian Byrne requested Sir Keir Starmer to “give members the opportunity to vote on whether they believe Waspi women are owed compensation”.

A newly-elected MP can also be amongst these calling for ministers to rethink the choice.

Brian Leishman, who has represented Alloa and Grangemouth since July, informed Sky News that the Government “really should deliver” on the compensation.

Mr Leishman mentioned he was “shocked” and “disappointed” by the choice.

“This is a historical injustice that Waspi women have faced. We campaigned in opposition to correct that injustice, and now that we’re in power we really should deliver on that,” he mentioned.

Mr Leishman mentioned there’s “a lot of disappointment and a lot of frustration” amongst colleagues, and mentioned he would “completely endorse” Mr Byrne’s requires a vote.

It is known that the Liberal Democrats might think about means equivalent to an opposition day or backbench debate if the Government chooses to not maintain a vote.

On Wednesday, Downing Street mentioned there have been “no plans” for a vote on the problem.

Scottish Labour chief Anas Sarwar mentioned he was “deeply disappointed” by the “blanket” choice to not award compensation, and thinks that ministers “could have found a way forward”.

Speaking to STV News, Mr Sarwar mentioned: “I can completely understand, and I believe I was one of the ones that campaigned with them, had photographs with them, I was right to do that, I was right to campaign with them.

“I continue to stand with them in the face of their injustice. I think where there is justified frustration is in the blanket no compensation position.”

He later added: “I think a blanket no compensation position is the wrong one and I’m deeply disappointed by that.

“I think we could have found a way forward that recognised the difficult public finances, that recognised the difficult inheritance.”

Sir Keir Starmer is going through upset from his personal celebration over the Government’s choice to not award compensation to Waspi ladies.

A former shadow employment minister is amongst these urging the Prime Minister to “reconsider” the choice, whereas one other senior MP mentioned that quite a lot of MPs are “very unhappy”.

The Prime Minister has insisted that taxpayers couldn’t afford the £10.5 billion compensation package deal, however there have been requires a vote or for Number 10 to rethink.

Andy McDonald, who was shadow employment rights minister between 2020 and 2021, wrote to the Prime Minister to say “the Government has made the wrong decision”.

“I urge you to reconsider this decision in the interests of justice for women denied a fair settlement,” he mentioned.

Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaigners have accused the Prime Minister of spreading “dangerous misinformation” in his defence of how State Pension age changes were communicated to women born in the 1950s.

Angela Madden, Chair of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI), mentioned: “This isn’t just misleading; it’s an insult to millions of 1950s-born women who were blindsided by these changes. The Ombudsman’s findings were based on rigorous evidence showing that 60 per cent of women had no idea their own State Pension age was rising.

“The Government’s attempt to cherry-pick data to suggest otherwise is spreading dangerous misinformation, plain and simple.”

Ms Madden added: “The fact that 90 per cent of women had some general awareness of potential changes in the future does not mean they knew this would impact them personally.

“That is exactly why the Ombudsman identified maladministration and why this Government’s continued attempts to muddy the waters are so unacceptable.”