The long-running battle for justice by women born in the 1950s has entered a critical new phase. Campaigners from Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) have issued a stark warning to the Government, insisting that any compensation for the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) maladministration must not be based on an individual's wealth or poverty.
A Crucial Settlement and a Forthcoming Decision
This warning comes in the wake of a significant out-of-court settlement between WASPI representatives and the DWP. The settlement, which included the Government paying £180,000 towards the campaign's legal costs, was reached to avoid a High Court ruling after a judicial review was sought.
The legal challenge forced a retraction of the DWP's initial refusal to pay compensation. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden is now tasked with issuing a fresh decision, which campaigners anticipate will be released by early March 2026. WASPI has vowed to scrutinise the reasoning of this new decision to ensure it is lawful.
The Core of the Injustice
The dispute stems from the failure to properly inform women born in the 1950s that their State Pension age was increasing from 60 to 65, and later to 66. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman investigated and found the DWP guilty of maladministration.
Following this finding, the watchdog recommended that the affected women should receive compensation payouts ranging from £1,000 to £2,950. This recommendation now forms the basis of the ongoing campaign for redress.
"An Injustice is an Injustice": The Campaign's Stance
Angela Madden, chair of the WASPI campaign, has made the group's position unequivocally clear. She argues that the decision on compensation must be based purely on whether the women suffered an injustice, not their personal financial circumstances.
"Any decisions on compensation must disregard the personal wealth or poverty of the individual women," Madden stated. She maintains that all affected women deserve redress for the lost opportunity to plan their retirement, a chance denied by the DWP's failure.
The campaign's stance directly challenges proposals from some MPs to means-test the compensation payments. While political support for the payouts exists, the scale and method of compensation remain divisive issues in Westminster.
Madden confirmed that the potential for future legal action hinges entirely on whether the Government's new decision, expected in March, is deemed lawful. The campaign is prepared to continue its fight should the compensation framework fail to address the fundamental injustice identified by the Ombudsman.
