Starmer’s WASPI Betrayal: More Pensioners Left Out in the Cold

Broken Promises, Broken Trust: Labour’s WASPI Betrayal

In a stark betrayal that lays bare the hollow promises of modern politics, Labour has turned its back on the WASPI women who have fought tirelessly for justice. The very party that once championed their cause now stands accused of the most cynical of political betrayals.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s hypocrisy could not be more transparent. Just two years ago, he stood before the nation, decrying the “real injustice” faced by women born in the 1950s. “All your working life you’ve got in mind the date on which you can retire and get your pension,” he proclaimed, “and just as you get towards it, the goalposts are moved and you don’t get it.”

Those were not just words. They were a promise. A commitment. A moral stance.

Today, those words ring hollow.

The Real Injustice

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has definitively slammed the door on compensation for over 3 million women affected by pension age changes. The government’s justification? A dubious claim that 90% of women knew about the pension age increase, and that compensation would cost up to £10.5 billion.

The reality is far more brutal. These are women who planned their entire lives around a retirement date, only to have the rug pulled from beneath them. Women who found themselves thrust into poverty, their lifetime of work and planning decimated by bureaucratic sleight of hand.

Angela Madden, chair of the WASPI campaign, pulled no punches. “This is a bizarre and totally unjustified move which will leave everyone asking what the point of an Ombudsman is if ministers can simply ignore their decisions,” she declared. Her words cut to the heart of the matter: this is not just about money, but about fundamental trust in our political institutions.

Compensating Waspi women would ‘burden’ the taxpayer, Sir Keir Starmer says

The announcement has been branded a “day of shame” for the Labour government, who have been accused of turning their backs on pension-aged women.

Starmer’s betrayal cuts especially deep because of his past declarations of support for the WASPI women. Speaking in 2022, Starmer described their situation as a “real injustice,” noting that women had worked their entire lives expecting a retirement age of 60, only to have the goalposts moved without proper warning. “We need to do something about it,” he said at the time, accusing the Conservative government of “putting its fingers in its ears.”

Yet on Tuesday, Prime Minister Starmer defended Labour’s decision to reject compensation, claiming, “I have to take into account whether it’s right at the moment to impose a further burden on the taxpayer.” His remarks, coupled with Liz Kendall’s dismissal of compensation, reveal a Labour Party that has abandoned its principles in favour of fiscal conservatism—a stark contrast to the party’s 2017 and 2019 manifestos, which promised full compensation for WASPI women.

A Legacy of Broken Promises

Labour’s retreat on WASPI compensation is emblematic of a broader pattern of betrayal. Under Jeremy Corbyn, Labour stood unequivocally for the rights of the WASPI women, including compensation in its platform. Liz Kendall brushed this aside in Parliament, noting that Labour lost those elections. But this is no excuse for abandoning the fight for justice.

It is beyond disappointing that Liz Kendall has rejected any compensation for the WASPI women.

First, the government cuts winter fuel. Now this? Whose side is the government on?

WASPI women have been disgracefully cheated out of their pensions — and they deserve justice. pic.twitter.com/ZDY4J6GP4X

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) December 17, 2024

Labour’s decision also follows the removal of winter fuel allowances for most pensioners this winter, another blow to vulnerable groups. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, whose union is a major Labour donor, condemned the move: “Ministers are making the wrong choices—they need to turn back now because voters will not forgive them.”

Where Is Labour’s Moral Compass?

This isn’t just about broken promises; it’s about a fundamental failure to uphold justice. The DWP’s maladministration left millions of women worse off, some plunged into poverty, through no fault of their own. That’s not just a policy failure—it’s a moral failing. The Parliamentary Ombudsman recommended compensation to address this injustice. Labour’s refusal to act doesn’t just betray WASPI women; it undermines trust in the entire democratic process.

Who Will Fight for the Forgotten?

As the WASPI campaigners point out, this betrayal raises the question of who Labour is really fighting for. Once the party of social justice, Labour now seems more interested in courting fiscal hawks than addressing systemic inequality. For women who have worked hard their entire lives, only to be abandoned in their hour of need, the message is clear: the Labour Party is not on their side.

This decision will not be forgotten. It stands as a stark reminder that justice for the most vulnerable is not a priority for a government more focused on courting corporate giants like BlackRock and funding foreign wars than protecting its own citizens. Labour has abandoned its roots and betrayed the trust of the very people it was meant to serve.

Labour are the new Tories…