Andy Burnham, the Labour leadership hopeful and Greater Manchester mayor, has ruled out paying financial compensation to the 'Waspi women' affected by state pension age changes, but remains open to offering other benefits such as subsidised transport.
Burnham had previously indicated support for compensating up to 3.6 million women born in the 1950s, some of whom claim they lost thousands of pounds due to inadequate notification of the changes. However, after a backlash over the potential multibillion-pound cost, a spokesperson clarified on Thursday that he accepted the compensation case was closed.
The spokesperson said Burnham 'has indicated an openness to considering similar schemes on the Greater Manchester model,' noting that he had already supported Waspi women in the city-region with early access to concessionary travel. The government has argued that a flat-rate compensation scheme would cost up to £10.3 billion and would not be fair, as most women were aware of the changes.
Campaigners maintain that many women were left with unaffordable retirement plans after the coalition government accelerated the pension age increase from 60 to 65 and then to 66. The Waspi campaign has broad support from Labour MPs and the Liberal Democrats, who argue that many women did not receive required communication about the changes.
At a byelection hustings in Makerfield, Burnham criticised the government for reneging on promises, stating: 'I stick by the campaigns that I support. I stuck by the Hillsborough families. I’ll stick by the Waspi women because they deserve some recompense for the unfairness.'
