DWP facing legal action over its failure to compensate millions of people

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is facing legal action. It is over the changes to the state pension age for women. The action has come about because of the government’s refusal to compensate millions of women affected – despite it being told by an independent watchdog it should. So now, campaigners have put the DWP on notice.

The DWP in the dock (again)?

The plight of the WASPI women – those impacted by sudden changes to the state pension age – is one of the most glaring injustices in recent British political history. For over a decade, hundreds of thousands of women have been left financially stranded, abandoned by successive governments and the DWP that have failed to right an undeniable wrong. And now – the Labour Party has done the same.

Most recently secretary of state for the DWP Liz Kendall delivered a devastating blow, confirming that the so-called 3.8 million WASPI women will not receive any compensation. This decision not only highlights a deep lack of accountability but also compounds the suffering of countless lives already uprooted.

However, these women are not taking it lightly. As the Liverpool Echo reported:

WASPI campaigners have threatened the Government with legal action unless it reconsiders the decision to reject compensation for millions of women…

A letter has been sent to the DWP, the ‘letter before action’ warns of High Court Proceedings if the issues is not resolved…

Campaigners said the Government’s reasons for rejecting the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) report, which found that the women should be paid up to £2,950 each, are “legally wrong”.

You can donate to the WASPI women’s crowdfunder here.

An ongoing scandal

This DWP scandal originates from the accelerated changes to the state pension age for women. In 1995, the Conservative government legislated to equalize the pension age at 65.

However, many women born in the 1950s were not adequately informed of these changes, meaning they unknowingly planned for a retirement age of 60. The 2011 Pensions Act, brought in under the Tory-Lib Dem coalition government, further compounded the issue by accelerating the timetable.

The end result? Thousands of women were blindsided, left with no time to adjust their financial plans or secure employment to bridge the gap.

So egregious

What makes this scandal so egregious is not merely the scale of its impact but the total failure of governments and DWP bosses – Conservative, Labour, and coalition alike – to address the injustice.

Many WASPI women had already left work, were caring for family members, or grappling with health issues. They had made financial and personal decisions under the assumption that they would retire at 60. Instead, the goalposts were moved, and they were forced to wait up to six additional years for their DWP state pensions.

For women who had spent their lives contributing to society and the economy – often earning less than men and sacrificing careers to raise children or care for older relatives – this was nothing short of betrayal.

The emotional and financial toll has been staggering. Some women have been forced back into work in their 60s, despite ill health. Others have been pushed into poverty, relying on food banks or loans to survive. The WASPI campaign (Women Against State Pension Inequality) has tirelessly fought to highlight these stories and demand justice. Yet their pleas have been met with indifference from successive governments.

Liz Kendall’s recent announcement that WASPI women will not receive compensation is the latest insult in this long-running injustice.

Liz Kendall: a liar

Current DWP boss Kendall said in parliament on Tuesday 17 December:

We cannot accept that in the great majority of cases, sending a letter earlier would have affected whether women knew their state pension age was rising.

The Government does not believe paying a flat rate to all women at a cost of up to £10.5bn would be a fair or proportionate use of taxpayers’ money.

Not least when the previous Government failed to set aside a single penny for any compensation scheme and when they left us a £22bn black hole in the public finances.

Of course, this is another pledge the Labour Party made before it was elected that it has now broken:

This Labour Secretary of State is currently stating that her Government will not provide any financial compensation to the WASPI women.

They are shameless. pic.twitter.com/33MCGRCpSC

— Stephen Flynn MP (@StephenFlynnSNP) December 17, 2024

Labour and the DWP ignoring the ombudsman

While Kendall claims her focus lies in ‘managing public money responsibly’, this rationale will ring hollow to those women who have had their retirement years stolen. Many had hoped the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s (PHSO) investigation into maladministration would bring some justice.

The Ombudsman’s interim findings concluded that the DWP failed to properly communicate changes to the state pension age, effectively confirming what WASPI women have argued for years. It said these women should be compensated.

Yet the government’s continued refusal to act, despite this damning evidence, shows a staggering disregard for fairness and decency.

The wider implications of this scandal should not be underestimated.

Trust in the DWP pensions system – and in government itself – has been eroded. If the public, particularly older women, cannot rely on the government to act fairly and transparently, what faith can they have in the state’s ability to protect them in their later years?

The WASPI scandal sends another a chilling message – on top of countless other scandals – to future generations. It says your rights can be changed overnight, and you may be left to suffer the consequences alone.

WASPI women: failed by everyone

The response to the WASPI women has been woefully inadequate, both morally and politically.

Governments and the DWP cannot claim ignorance of the suffering these women face. The evidence is there. It is in the PHSO report. It’s  in the stories of countless women living in poverty. And it’s in the testimonies of campaigners who have refused to be silenced.

Yet politicians continue to pass the buck, hoping the issue will simply fade away. It will not. The WASPI women have shown extraordinary resilience, refusing to accept injustice and fighting tirelessly for the compensation they deserve.

They will not be ignored.

It is time for the government to face up to its responsibilities.

Liz Kendall’s refusal to offer compensation is not the end of this fight. However, it is a shameful chapter in a story that will haunt successive administrations unless justice is delivered.

The WASPI women were robbed of their pensions, their plans, and their peace of mind. So, their courage and determination should be met with action, not empty words and excuses. Until then, this scandal will remain an indelible stain on the reputation of every government that failed to act.

Featured image via the Canary