Dozens of Labour MPs have stepped up pressure on ministers to compensate women affected by changes to the state pension age, as campaigners prepare for a High Court showdown with the government in December.

More than 100 MPs from across the Commons, including 52 from Labour, have written to ministers demanding a meeting with Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) representatives, amid growing frustration at what many see as government “inaction” on the issue.

The fresh calls come ahead of a landmark legal challenge on 9 and 10 December, when government lawyers will defend the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) decision not to compensate 3.5 million women born in the 1950s who were affected by state pension age rises.

In late 2024, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) ruled that the DWP failed to properly inform women of the changes and recommended compensation be paid.

Ministers have so far declined to act on that finding - a stance campaigners warned could now backfire in court.

Following a WASPI Parliamentary drop-in for MPs this week, campaigners said frustration was palpable, with many Labour MPs said to be “furious” about the government’s handling of what has been described as a “pensions injustice”.

The DWP last met with WASPI representatives in September 2024.

WASPI chair, Angela Madden, warned that the government was in the “last chance saloon” to engage before being “forced to defend the indefensible” in court.

She stressed that the government’s refusal to compensate those affected was now having a visible political impact, with support “haemorrhaging” to both left-wing parties and Reform UK.

“WASPI stands ready for constructive dialogue,” Madden said, adding that "the ball was firmly in the DWP’s court - but time is running out.”

Several Labour MPs have echoed those concerns, pledging to continue pushing for justice for the women affected.

Salford MP and Co-Chair of the State Pension Inequality for Women APPG, Rebecca Long-Bailey, said the women had been “let down for too long” and vowed that campaigners and MPs alike “will not give up until this injustice is put right”.

Labour MP for South Norfolk, Ben Goldsborough, added that it was “time for action, not more delays or reviews”, while Sheffield Hallam MP, Olivia Blake, described the WASPI campaign as “a testament to determination and resilience”, adding that the women “deserve both justice and compensation”.

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough and Thornaby East MP, Andy McDonald, said it was “deeply troubling” that the government had failed to act on the ombudsman’s findings, stressing that “honouring that judgement is essential if we’re serious about fairness and accountability”.

The mounting political pressure also followed comments from newly-elected Labour deputy leader, Lucy Powell, who described the failure to compensate affected women as one of the government’s “big mistakes”.

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