Nearly three quarters (74 per cent) of people think the government should deliver “fair compensation” to Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) women, a poll from the Waspi organisation has revealed.  

Public support also extended to allowing MPs to vote on the issue, with 76 per cent of respondents supporting this stance.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) previously found that "thousands” of women may have been affected by the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) failure to adequately inform them that the state pension age (SPA) had changed.

However, the government recently confirmed that the 3.6 million women affected by state pension age (SPA) changes would not be paid compensation, after it rejected the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's (PHSO) proposed remedy.

Waspi campaign chair, Angela Madden, said: “For years we campaigned with prominent cabinet members who have now reneged on their promises and decided not to deliver justice, despite the clear findings of the ombudsman’s report and the unwavering public support.

“Not only does this question their integrity but throws public trust in our institutions into disarray. The parliamentary ombudsman is there to hold the government to account. Labour’s decision to ignore it rides roughshod over our constitutional checks and balances.”

The poll also found that 78 per cent of voters said the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, had broken his word after previously pledging to deliver “fair compensation” to Waspi women.

However, the Prime Minister has so far rejected calls to set up a compensation scheme.

Madden argued that without a government-led proposal to compensate Waspi women, MPs “need to step up” and do all that’s in their power to secure proper compensation.

“Waspi women have rallied across the country in response to Labour’s disgraceful decision with the number of women joining our campaign growing significantly last month,” she said.

“On behalf of the 3.6 million women affected, we will continue to fight using all avenues available to achieve justice.”

Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, Brian Leishman, said the WASPI women are not a “political football”, arguing that they are a generation of women who deserve the justice Labour promised them.

“When that opposition vote comes, I will be doing the right thing and voting for WASPI women to receive the justice they are due and deserve,” Leishman added.

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