Helen calls for cash for struggling WASPI women

MP Helen Morgan has called for WASPI women to be given interim payments to help them cope while their full compensation is decided.

The rising state pension age and its impact on women is one of the issues that is raised most often at Helen’s weekly surgeries in North Shropshire.

Last year, the Parliamentary Ombudsman ruled that Government officials were too slow to tell many women they would have to wait longer for their state pension due to the rising age of retirement.

Women up and down the country are set to receive compensation after a major campaign by WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) activists.

However, many WASPI women are already struggling financially due to not knowing that they would have to wait longer for their state pension as the retirement age increased.

The cost-of-living crisis is adding to the financial burden and Helen Morgan believes WASPI women deserve support now.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire Helen Morgan said:

“Last July, the Ombudsman ruled that the Government was too slow to tell many women that they would be affected by the rising state pension age. Alongside the cost-of-living crisis, many of the WASPI women are struggling to get by. Indeed, it's one of the most frequently raised concerns in my weekly surgeries.

“So I wonder if the Secretary of State will commit to an interim payment to women affected by this change while they wait for the final Ombudsman's report to be released?”

Laura Trott, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, refused, saying that it “would not be appropriate to take any further steps at this stage” while the Ombudsman’s investigation is ongoing.