WASPI campaigners slam government's 'bizarre and totally unjustified' compensation decision

Campaigners have slammed for the government after they announced women affected by the way changes to the state pension age were communicated will not be compensated.

Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) say that more than three million women born in the 1950s were not properly informed of the rise in state pension age to bring them into line with men.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has apologised for a 28-month delay in sending letters, but has rejected any kind of financial pay outs.

READ MORE: WASPI women will not receive compensation from DWP over pension changes

As well as being criticised by campaigners, the Government is also facing criticism from MPs over the decision, even getting backlash from members of its own party.

One former pensions minister said the handling of the issue “sets an extremely worrying precedent”.

Ms Kendall said the government does not believe paying a flat rate to women at a cost of up to £10.5 billion would be a fair or proportionate use of taxpayers’ money.

Angela Madden, chairwoman of Waspi said: “The government has today made an unprecedented political choice to ignore the clear recommendations of an independent watchdog which ordered ministers urgently to compensate Waspi women nine months ago.

“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.

“It feels like a decision that would make the likes of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump blush.”

She described an action plan to avoid such mistakes in future as “an insult both to the women” and to the investigation previously carried out by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PSHO) into how changes