Gordon MP backs WASPI motion in Parliament

Gordon MP Richard Thomson has added his support to a Motion tabled in Parliament calling for the UK Government to accept the fact that the women affected by the WASPI scandal need and deserve compensation which recognises their financial loss and distress.

The Motion also “notes with concern that the Ombudsman’s report highlights that the Department for Work and Pensions has clearly indicated that it will refuse to comply; believes that this is completely unacceptable and agrees that DWP must do the right thing and be held accountable for its failure to do so”.

Commenting, Richard Thomson MP said: “The UK Government’s handling of this matter has been disgraceful and their unwillingness to even agree that the WASPI women should be compensated is nothing short of a dereliction of duty. I have added my name to the Motion tabled in Parliament calling for the DWP to do the right thing and for the UK Government to accept that the affected women deserve compensation which reflects their financial loss.

“I will continue to press their case in Parliament and demand that fair compensation be delivered as soon as possible to these women who have suffered Westminster mismanagement.”

Text of the Motion is as follows:

Final report of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on women's state pension age

Patricia Gibson (North Ayrshire and Arran)

That this House welcomes the findings of the UK Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) which vindicates women born in the 1950s who were severely impacted when their state pension age was raised with little or no notice; notes that the Ombudsman's conclusions that the Government needs to act swiftly to ensure a compensation scheme is established to remedy the failings by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP); further notes with concern that the Ombudsman’s report highlights that the DWP has clearly indicated that it will refuse to comply; believes that this is completely unacceptable and agrees that DWP must do the right thing and be held accountable for its failure to do so; is mindful of the suffering of the woman affected by the changes to their state pension age, with retirement plans thrown into chaos, leaving many in dire financial straits, exacerbated during a cost of living crisis; appreciates that the generation of women affected have already been victims of pay discrimination; commends the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaigners who have conducted their campaign for pension justice with dignity despite provocation in the form of dismissal and intransigence from the Government over many years; urges the Government to accept the fact that the women affected need and deserve compensation which recognises their financial loss and distress; and rejects any attempts to erect barriers which will prevent prompt access to compensation so that all WASPI women can finally enjoy the retirement they have earned.

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