Andy Burnham labels government’s Waspi compensation rejection a “clear injustice”

Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor for Greater Manchester, has characterized the government’s choice to decline demands for compensation for women affected by modifications to the state pension as a “clear injustice”. During an appearance on BBC Radio Manchester, he stated his inability to defend his party’s stance, which was adopted notwithstanding an extensive campaign by the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) group. Approximately 3.6 million women were impacted by the 1995 resolution to raise the pension age to 65. Burnham commented: “Many of us supported the Waspi women in opposition, to me you’ve got to follow through on that and honour what was said.” He further remarked: “I believe this is a wrong decision…I think it should be looked at again.” Conversely, Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the decision earlier this week, asserting that taxpayers “simply can’t afford the tens of billions of pounds” required for such payments. The Waspi group contended that the affected individuals were not adequately notified about the increase in the state pension age, which aimed to align it with that of men. The government, in 1995, raised the pension age for women from 60 to 65, with the transition implemented progressively between 2010 and 2020. The coalition government formed in 2010 chose to accelerate this process, advancing the qualifying age of 65 to 2018. According to the Waspi group, numerous affected women had formulated financial strategies predicated on the previous state pension age, and some retired without realizing they would be unable to claim their pension. The group had previously advocated for compensation of up to £10,000 for each woman affected. An independent government review conducted in March suggested compensation ranging from £1,000 to £2,950 for each individual impacted. Burnham stated: “That was a report that all political parties should have accepted and acted upon.” Starmer asserted that the Treasury lacked the financial capacity to disburse compensation, with Labour ministers cautioning that the overall expenditure might have exceeded £10bn. He further claimed that “90% of those impacted knew about the changes that were taking place”. However, Burnham countered that the compensation “doesn’t have to be paid all at once”, suggesting it could be implemented via a “top up of the pension for a few years”. The BBC has sought additional comment from the government.