What do the 2024 General Election manifestos say about WASPI?

24 June 2024

Written by Retirement Line

Now that the main political parties have unveiled their election manifestos, WASPI women have one key thing on their minds. Will the winning party agree to give them the compensation they seemed so close to securing just before the election was announced? 

WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) advocates for women born in the 1950s to be compensated over a failure to fully communicate the changes in the State Pension age when it was raised from 60 to 66.

WASPI estimates that 3.8m women were hit particularly hard when the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) raised the State Pension age for women but failed to properly communicate with them.

You can read our guide to WASPI for more information about this ongoing campaign.

The Liberal Democrats, SNP Plaid Cymru and the Green Party have all pledged support for WASPI compensation. But the two main parties – the Conservatives and Labour – have both avoided committing to compensation. 

What do the party manifestos say about WASPI?

According to the Express, WASPI women make up one in 12 voters in the average constituency, so they hold a lot of sway in the general election. A survey at the start of June revealed that 60% of them had not yet decided who to vote for. For campaigners, a top priority will no doubt be understanding where parties stand on compensation.

Here’s what the three main parties have said about the possibility of WASPI compensation during the general election campaign:

Conservatives

Published on 11 June, the 2024 Conservative manifesto says: “We are carefully considering the Ombudsman report into WASPI women and will work with Parliament to provide an appropriate and swift response.”

Angela Madden, chair of WASPI, spoke to the Express about the Conservative policy document, saying it was "disappointing" that the Conservatives had stuck to their previous position in their manifesto.

Labour

Labour leader Keir Starmer indicated two years ago that he backed WASPI women, so does his manifesto commit to compensating them?

It appears not. Released on 13 June, the 2024 Labour manifesto contains no reference at all to WASPI compensation or the recent ombudsman report. 

According to the Daily Record, during a press conference before Labour released its manifesto Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “There are lots of things that a Labour government might like to do, but the state of the public finances and the dire need of our public services means that we won’t be able to do everything that we might like to do.”

She went on to say: “We won’t put forward anything that is not fully costed and fully funded, and I haven’t set out any money for this [compensation for WASPI women].”

Liberal Democrats

In a boost to the campaign, WASPI received fresh support from the Lib Dems, who have pledged to provide compensation if they win the election.

The 2024 Lib Dem manifesto promises to "ensure that women born in the 1950s are finally treated fairly and properly compensated".

Angela Madden, chair of WASPI, said to the Express: "We’re very pleased with the Lib Dems, they have been supportive all the way through. They always supported us in the last administration.”

Will WASPI get the compensation they seek?

A report released in March by the Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman suggests payments are made of between £1,000 and £2,950 to women affected. This would cost the government between around £3.5billion and £10.5 billion of public funds. 

Following the report’s findings, MPs took part in a House of Commons debate on the issue of WASPI compensation. A State Pension Age (Compensation) Bill was subsequently shelved following Rishi Sunak’s announcement of a General Election on 4 July. It was a blow to campaigners, as the subsequent dissolution of Parliament saw their efforts come to a halt until the new government is formed.