Waspi: Labour’s woman problem

Labour has a problem with women.

While in opposition, it campaigned, and campaigned, and campaigned for justice for Waspi women. Now in government it has refused to pay the compensation it once said those women were entitled to.

Is it any wonder that so many 1950s-born women feel so aggrieved?

It is often said by the cynics out there that politicians would be willing to sell their own grannies. As shadow pensions minister, Rachel Reeves revealed her own mother was amongst those women who had been “done an injustice” over the handling of the change in state pension age from 60 to 65. And as Chancellor, she’s the one who has said the Treasury cannot afford to pay out the compensation so many were expecting from her government.

It's not quite selling your granny, but it’s just about close enough to trigger a welfare check from social services.

In a WhatsApp group chat, its messages leaked to The Times, Labour MP Olivia Blake told colleagues: “I fear the political cost of this will outweigh the financial cost of compensation significantly.”

That cost is already being counted, forcing the leadership of Labour in Scotland to condemn the decision taken by senior colleagues in London even as Keir Starmer and his ministers seek to explain it.

Anas Sarwar said the UK Government was “wrong on the compensation”. His deputy, Jackie Baillie, said “a blanket approach which denies compensation to any women is the wrong thing to do”, telling followers on social media: “I do not support this decision.”

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has called for a reconsideration, saying of his party that “many of us supported the Waspi women in opposition – to me you've got to follow through on that and honour what was said”.

Starmer has said the public purse “simply can’t afford the tens of billions of pounds” it would take to make payments to all of those affected by the decision to bring women’s state pension age into line with that for men.

The decision, to be phased in by 2020, was made in 1995. But the process was then brought forward to 2018 and many of those affected – the women against state pension injustice (Waspi) – blamed the state for failing to give them sufficient notice to adjust their own financial planning.

In March, and after Labour and other MPs joined activists on so many protests on the matter, an independent review agreed and recommended payouts of £1,000-£2,950 for those involved, much to the delight of campaigners.

But that’s now not going to happen and the handling of the decision has been extraordinary. Made in the run-up to Christmas, its timing has allowed the UK Government to be seen as misers – as Scrooges. And, to wrap the whole thing up in a bow, it’s the second significant policy decision to affect older women, the first being the end to universal entitlement to the winter fuel payment.

So Labour’s women problem is really an older women problem. With around 3.5m in the Waspi category alone, that’s a hornet’s nest the party may regret kicking.

For those feeling short-changed, Labour is now the party of cuts, not of comradeship. Add to that the burach over the continuation of the two-child cap and Starmer’s government, still fewer than six months into its run, has spent a huge amount of political capital on decisions which, though aimed at improving overall public finances, have been poorly handled and badly communicated.

For so many years our political parties have had a focus on younger people, seeking to capture the youth vote. Are older voters now taken for granted? If so, that’s a mistake – older people are more likely to vote. Those seeking electoral advantage would be best advised to communicate carefully with this cohort.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman said blanket compensation for Waspi women at its recommended level would cost up to £10.5bn. That’s not pocket change. And it did note that “not all women born in the 1950s will have suffered an injustice”. Explaining the government’s rationale, Starmer said that “90 per cent of those impacted knew about the changes that were taking place”.

Did Starmer say that to the Waspi campaigners he was pictured next to before he took office? Certainly, a compensation promise did not feature in Labour’s general election manifesto. But then, it had appeared in its 2019 iteration. And Labour did not fight this year’s election on its manifesto, but on a broad and unqualified message of “change”. Could some voters be blamed for thinking that that “change” sounded like money in their pockets?

Certainly, many Labour MPs feel their position over the years was clear. “I stood shoulder to shoulder with these women and promised to fight for them, as many of us did,” said Michelle Scrogham MP on that WhatsApp chat. “We would never have done this under Tony [Blair] or Gordon [Brown],” said Dawn Butler.

Under Blair, Labour became known as a party that fought for women. It brought in more female MPs and its government introduced new laws on domestic violence, flexible working, the minimum wage and tax credits. And according to analysis by Ipsos, 35 per cent of women across the UK as a whole voted for Labour this summer, compared with 34 per cent of men.

Calling for compensation for Waspi women, Burnham has suggested this could be afforded over a period of years and “doesn’t have to be paid all at once”.

Will Labour pay for its handling of the Waspi row? Perhaps that too will be drawn out over a number of years. That could start as early as 2026, when Sarwar, Baillie and colleagues will ask Scottish voters to back them at Holyrood.

The party in Scotland is clearly working now to articulate a clear position which does not alienate Waspi women and their families. But it can’t buy itself time and is now, after making so many gains in 2024, ending the year on the defensive.

This is a moment which will test Sarwar’s leadership. He’s a shrewd politician, but can he avoid being stung?