Keir Starmer is right: Waspi women pension claim is 'ridiculous' - Rachel Cunliffe | New Statesman

Labour face anger as they say Waspi women will not be compensated for pension "shortfalls". Rachel Cunliffe argues the government should hold firm.

A generation of women have been campaigning for years for compensation over the rising retirement age.

Despite the Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman finding that there had been "maladministration" in how pension changes were communicated, Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have announced the government cannot afford to compensate the Waspi women.

Rachel Cunliffe, George Eaton and Hannah Barnes discuss the Waspi Women's pension claims on the New Statesman podcast.

📚 READ
PMQs review: Kemi Badenoch misses every target

🙋‍♀️ ASK a question

📧 FREE get our daily politics email

💷 SAVE Become a New Statesman subscriber:

🎧 LISTEN to the New Statesman podcast

--
The New Statesman brings you unrivalled analysis of of the latest UK and international politics. On our YouTube channel you’ll find insight on the top news and global current affairs stories, as well as insightful interviews with politicians, advisers and leading political thinkers, to help you understand the political and economic forces shaping the world.

With regular contributions from our writers including Political Editor Andrew Marr, Hannah Barnes, Rachel Cunliffe and George Eaton we’ll help you understand the world of politics and global affairs from Westminster to Washington and beyond.

#topnews #news #politics

[angusswanson]

Problem is - I didn’t hear Starmer, Rayner, Kendall et al say that the waspi campaign was ‘ridiculous’ when they stood with the campaigners.

[andrewchallis]

At last a common sense appraisal of this campaign. Labours problem is of their own making by toadying up to the campaign for purely electoral reasons, both in 2019 (offering them a £59 billion bung) and 2024 with any number of photo opportunities.

[leebex]

When they raised the men's retirement age, did we demand £10bn in compensation?

[williamjohnson]

The waspi women should cancel netflix, buy less coffee and stop going on holidays. Ive been told by women of this exact demographic that that is the magic solution to finacial problmes.

[gracie]

I am 72 and would have been included in this payment if it had gone ahead but I'm far more concerned about my working children in their forties trying to make ends meet. They simply can't afford to bankroll this payment.

[rolandrowland]

as a 24 year old male I knew about this is 2005 when I wasn't managing a pension. Its unfathomable that the recipients would not be aware that their pensions were changing bearing in mind it was announced even ten years prior to that. And in any event they haven't lost any money.

[Jim]

No offense but in an age of equality, women shouldn't be complaining about missing out on pension payments when men were forced to retire years and years later. How is that fair?

[colinthompson]

I would like to thank Rachel Cunliffe for doing this video. I didn't realize the perspective she presented here from other UK media. I hope she gets a media award for her professionalism. 😊

[TheZaxanator]

Please make the entire podcast episode on why the Waspi campaign is ridiculous, I would enjoy it very much.

[degaulle]

This whole thatcherite boomer thing of 'ive paid my taxes, I demand a personalised financial response from the government at the expense of everyone else', honestly its mainly annoying cause someone far younger than them has to repeatedly explain what NI and taxes actually are to someone who we're told is wise and experienced.

[PMMagro]

Women live longer than men. To start paying women pensions 5 years earlier than men is bananas. It is like getting a pension for life at 65 when you live to 85-90 instead of 75 and expect the same level of pensions and/or pension fund payments duriing your work life. The basic maths does not add up. The only way it could work is if women gets lower pensions than men based on the same income. Given that women earn less than men to start with that whould be a low pension for sure...

[fatbikemontage]

The reason the official parliamentary report recommended compensation is because the DWP failed to notify affected people when the retirement age for them changed. They relied on those people being informed by the media, or having the necessary hindsight to check that it hadn’t changed.

[audreywinterbottom]

Totally agree and I am one of the women affected.

[milo]

When EU nationals had to register before 30th of June 2021, the Gov only sent letter 30 days before.
If your passport was not valid, you could not use the website or the app but had to ask for paper form.
But they refused to send it, unless they were given proof from embassy that it would not be possible to get new ID before thr deadline.

They already had people's email, phone number, why it must be only letter?
What's about sending text message where you would need to reply back to confirm you read it.

And email as well.

Nothing changed since Windrush and they wanted many as many people as possible to missed the deadline.

[JillOsgerby]

It wasn’t just about when women realised this was happening. There was little time for some to earn enough to make up the difference especially when many women worked part time because of other responsibilities. More women did not work outside the home in this generation. Also women had much lower wages than men historically which affected women more in this age group. Older women are an easy target in my opinion.

[benjaminwilliams]

Labour definitely on the right side on this issue. It is totally unjust to demand younger workers (anyone under 50 really) to pay waspi women for a pension they're never going to get themselves.

Im in my late 30s and I'd be incredibly surprised if the retirement age was less than 70 by the time I get there. So why should I pay compensation to people who are upset aboit not getting to retire at 60? They're still getting a minimum of 4 more years than my cohort will get.

[jennyd]

I'm just within the affected age group, and even I think that the whole thing is rather ridiculous. Some of my peers really do need to wind their necks in and stop expecting everyone else to pick up the pieces if they haven't bothered to properly inform themselves! The thing that annoys me even more is the way that all this is sadly adding to a negative perception of the government. With Mad Boy Musk starting to sub the UK far right we really need more upset like a hole in the head.

[vicattard]

Rachel cunliffe right on the mark. Utterly brilliant.

[DD-tnum]

Isn’t the issue not whether compensation is merited but rather the hypocrisy of saying one thing/ lying while out of govt. and the reneging when in Govt?

[owatopham]

My Mother, born in 1950, knew back in the 90s that she would have to work longer than those born before 1950. So I feel no sympathy.