The government has agreed to reassess its refusal to provide compensation for millions of women affected by state pension age increases. This reversal follows the emergence of new evidence from a previously unseen 2007 government report during ongoing legal action. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden stated the government would withdraw from an imminent judicial review brought by the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign while it examines the material.
McFadden explained that the former minister who had rejected compensation was not provided with this report. He emphasized that reconsidering the decision did not guarantee compensation would be awarded, but that it was necessary for a fair and transparent process. The campaign group, representing women born in the 1950s, argues that inadequate notice of the pension age changes left them financially unprepared. A previous ombudsman report had recommended individual compensation payments, a recommendation the prior government had rejected.
McFadden explained that the former minister who had rejected compensation was not provided with this report. He emphasized that reconsidering the decision did not guarantee compensation would be awarded, but that it was necessary for a fair and transparent process. The campaign group, representing women born in the 1950s, argues that inadequate notice of the pension age changes left them financially unprepared. A previous ombudsman report had recommended individual compensation payments, a recommendation the prior government had rejected.
