The High Court has scheduled an urgent case management hearing for 3 December to consider the government’s recent decision to revisit its refusal to compensate women affected by state pension age changes.

The hearing will come less than a week before the planned judicial review on 9-10 December.

The court has allocated two and a half hours to assess the implications of the government’s announcement, in which Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden, told MPs that ministers would reconsider the evidence “in the interests of fairness and transparency”.

In response, the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) said the move had potential value but warned that the lack of a timetable and the possibility that ministers could simply reissue a decision mirroring the original rejection, including the legal errors now under challenge, remained a serious concern.

The campaign group had therefore instructed its legal team to seek assurances from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) before deciding whether to proceed with the full judicial review.

Today, WASPI chair, Angela Madden, argued the flaws in the government’s 2024 decision had already been exposed, with ministers admitting that key evidence had not been considered.

“Last month’s reconsideration announcement was a major step forward for WASPI women,” she said.

“But the government has since been coy about how it will go about reconsidering, and the timescale.

"Our lawyers have been pressing the government on these and other matters.

"The imminent court hearings may not be necessary, but only if we can be confident that the government is willing to reconsider in the right way,” she added.

Madden also underlined the broader significance of the case, warning that it affects not only millions of women but public confidence in the Ombudsman system.

“The high stakes should not be forgotten,” she stressed.

“This is a case of the utmost public interest… Most importantly of all, every 13 minutes, a WASPI woman dies without seeing justice.”

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) previously found that the DWP had failed to adequately inform women of increases to the state pension age and recommended compensation.

Ministers accepted there had been maladministration in communication, but rejected the compensation recommendation, prompting WASPI to mount a legal challenge.

The latest update comes amid growing political pressure, with more than 100 MPs - including 52 Labour members - recently signing a letter urging ministers to meet WASPI representatives and take action on compensation.

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