The demands of older women lobbying the government against rises to their state pension age will not be met, Pensions Minister Richard Harrington has said.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Harrington said the pressure group known as the Women Against State Pension Age Inequality (Waspi) will not succeed in their attempts to obtain further financial help.

Harrington said: "The people who feel disadvantaged - the Waspis - seriously, I've read a lot about this as it's an important part of the job.

"I'd like to make it very clear that the government will be making no further changes in this field."

Changes were made to women’s state pension age in 1995 to bring them in to line with men’s state pension age. Despite this, the women affected were not properly informed until after 2011, when the state pension age for both men and women had increased and the timetable for equalising women’s state pension age was sped up.

Some women, who by this point were in their mid to late fifties, were told they would have to wait until the age of 66 for their pension (by this time the state pension age for men and women had increased to 66). This is despite the Turner Commission recommending a period of 15 years’ notice be given to pension changes.

The government has claimed the women were given sufficient time to prepare, and they have already made a transitional arrangement following the 2011 legislation so nobody has to wait more than 18 months for their pension. In addition, the government says the women will receive the new flat-rate state pension, which many will be better off on.

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