WASPI women latest: Government to review decision to refuse compensation

Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday 11 November, Mr McFadden said the Government would reconsider its decision in light of new evidence, namely a 2007 research report compiled by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) evaluating the effectiveness of automatic pension forecast letters.

Mr McFadden added: "Had this report been provided to [previous pensions secretary Liz Kendall], she would of course have considered it alongside all other relevant evidence and material. In light of this, and in the interests of fairness and transparency, I have concluded that the Government should now consider this evidence."

Compensation won't "necessarily" be awarded

On the next steps, Mr McFadden told the Commons: "I understand that people are impatient for this matter to be finally resolved... However, retaking this decision should not be taken as an indication that Government will necessarily decide that they should award financial redress."

He added that checks would be done to make sure no other evidence has been missed, but did not give a timeline for how quickly a decision could be made.

Angela Madden, chair of campaign group Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI), said the announcement "is a major step forward" and called once again for compensation, adding: "the Government now knows it got it wrong and we are pleased they are now trying to do it properly".

The group had launched a legal challenge against the Government's decision not to pay compensation. It's not yet clear what the latest announcement means for that case – Mr McFadden told the Commons that he had informed the court that additional evidence had come to light, while the WASPI group said it was seeking legal advice.

The Ombudsman had originally recommended financial redress

The 1995 Pensions Act raised the State Pension age for women born on or after 6 April 1950 from 60 to 65 – bringing it in line with the State Pension age for men. This change came into place in 2010. However, some women said the DWP didn't communicate these changes well enough, which meant they lost opportunities to make informed decisions and effectively plan for retirement.

In March 2024, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) published a report on the impact that the change had had on women who were born on or after 6 April 1950. It said the DWP had failed to provide "accurate, adequate and timely information" on the age rise and called on the Government to provide compensation – though it didn't have the legal power to compel this.

Late last year, for the first time, the Government acknowledged and apologised for a 28-month delay in writing to the 1950s-born women about the change. However, it said that because the majority of those women (73%, according to DWP research) knew about the change by 2004, it would rule out compensation.

At the time, MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) founder Martin Lewis commented on the move on X, saying there would be "many disappointed women".