STEPHEN Flynn has challenged Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer to “give a cast-iron guarantee that WASPI women will receive full compensation" after senior Tory and Labour party figures appeared to roll back on their commitment to delivering justice.
In a letter to both Sunak and Starmer on Monday, the SNP Westminster leader (below) said "women in Scotland have been betrayed and badly let down by Westminster".
He warned the two party leaders: "You must not break your promises and abandon Waspi women again – as it shamefully appears you are preparing to do".
Since the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman published its report on Thursday – which recommended that Waspi (women against state pension inequality) women who lost out amid changes to the state pension age were due compensation – both the Tories and Labour have refused to commit to compensating those affected by the scandal.
On Sunday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds both refused to give a commitment when challenged by the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg.
Hunt (below) said that the issue was "genuinely more complicated" than other issues such as the Horizon scandal and the infected blood scandal, which meant that it was impossible to commit to funding at this point.
Flynn's challenge comes ahead of an expected House of Commons statement on the issue later on Monday.
Figures compiled by the House of Commons Library in 2021 estimated that 355,910 Scottish women have been impacted by the Waspi pensions scandal.
The full letter from Stephen Flynn reads:
"Dear Prime Minister, Sir Keir,
"I am writing to demand you give a cast-iron guarantee that Waspi women will receive full compensation – after senior Tory and Labour Party figures rolled back again on commitments to delivering justice for 3.6million women impacted by the Waspi pensions scandal.
"Women in Scotland have been betrayed and badly let down by Westminster over this scandal. You must not break your promises and abandon Waspi women yet again – as it shamefully appears you are preparing to do.
"The publication of the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, in relation to the injustice suffered by those who have become known as the Waspi women, marks a critical juncture in this long-standing campaign.
"The sheer scale of this scandal demands a clear and compassionate response from all those tasked with political leadership. The report and its conclusions – compiled over five years – couldn’t be clearer. These women were failed, and they were failed by Westminster.
"The responsibility to act swiftly is paramount if justice is to be delivered. It is estimated that around 40,000 those impacted sadly pass away each year. That means that some 240,000 people have already passed away without ever receiving any apology, any justice, or any compensation.
"It is also important to acknowledge that this was not solely an injustice inflicted upon them in the past, it is an enduring injustice impacting upon their daily lives.
"A survey of 8000 Waspi women carried out in Autumn 2023 found:
- 70% of Waspi women have reduced their weekly spending and have cut their food shops in the past six months.
- 55% of Waspi women say their economic position has got worse in the past six months.
- 49% of Waspi women have struggled to pay essential bills in the past six months.
- 25% of Waspi women have struggled to buy food in the past six months.
"Since the PHSO report was published, both the UK government and the Labour Party have deliberately failed to answer and fully guarantee that full justice and fair compensation will be delivered to the Waspi women.
"As the current and future occupants of Downing Street, the responsibility now falls on you both to provide these 3.6m women with the justice, apology, and compensation they deserve. They deserve to know that current and future UK governments will finally deliver justice for all the Waspi women.
"These women have already suffered a deep injustice at the hands of Westminster. Failing to guarantee and deliver fair and fast compensation would add insult to injury. It is finally time to right this Westminster wrong.
"I look forward to each of your responses and your commitment to a cast iron guarantee of full compensation and justice for the Waspi women.”
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