Waspi women latest: Starmer accused of ‘breaking promise’ as he denies ‘misleading’ women over compensation
Starmer’s Labour was accused of broken promises at PMQs over its decision not to pay compensation to 3.8 million Waspi women
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Your support makes all the difference.Mother of the House Diane Abbott has accused the Labour government of breaking a previous promise to compensate the Waspi women, as Sir Keir Starmer was grilled in PMQs.
Calls for women born in the 1950s to receive thousands in compensation were rejected yesterday by work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall. The Waspi women say they were not properly aware of the rise in state pension age from 60 to 65, and that it has affected their retirement plans.
“We did promise them that we would give them justice,” Ms Abbott said. “I understand the issue about the cost, but does the prime minister really understand how let down Waspi women feel today?”
The government’s decision has sparked “raw fury” among campaigners.
Labour’s refusal of compensation comes despite the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) ruling that affected women were due compensation of typically £1,000 to £2,950 each.
Downing Street said Sir Keir does not accept that he “misled” Waspi campaigners by backing their calls for compensation.
“The prime minister and the secretary of state yesterday were very clear that this is a difficult decision, it is not one that has been taken lightly, but it’s based on the evidence in the Ombudsman’s report,” Sir Keir’s official spokesperson said.
Labour’s new bill for children: What parents need to know
Labour has introduced its landmark children’s bill to parliament, bringing in a range of sweeping changes which will affect both parents and educators.
Introduced by Department for Education (DfE) secretary Bridget Phillipson, the new legislation is designed to improve children’s safety and education standards in the UK.
Ms Phillipson said: “In recent years, too many children have been failed by their last line of defence: the state.”
“This bill will be a seminal moment for child protection. No more words, no more lessons learnt. This government will put children first at every turn.”
Albert Toth explains everything you need to know about the plans:
Labour’s new laws for children: What parents need to know
Changes to homeschooling and academies come in Labour’s landmark bill
Watch: Diane Abbott accuses Starmer of ‘breaking promise’ to Waspi women in heated PMQs
Revealed: Brexit has reduced UK exports by £27bn, new report claims
A damning report has revealed that British exports have been hit with a £27 billion loss as a result of Brexit.
The paper by the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) has found that Boris Johnson’s Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) has reduced total goods exports from the UK by an estimated £27bn (or 6.4 per cent) in 2022 – due to a 13.2 per cent fall in the value of goods exported to the EU.
It comes as the government prepares to open talks in the new year for a Brexit deal reset with the EU but is being pressed to make significant compromises on allowing the European Court of Justice to have jurisdiction in the UK and allowing free movement for young people.
The CEP, based at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), uses data from more than 100,000 firms to estimate the gap between the actual value of exports under the TCA and what would have been expected had the UK remained in the EU.
Political editor David Maddox reports:
Revealed: Brexit has reduced UK exports by £27bn, new report claims
A report by the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) has revealed that small businesses have been worst hit by a £27bn drop in exports caused by Brexit
Diane Abbott confronts Keir Starmer over Waspi compensation
Diane Abbott: We promised we’d give them justice
Former Labour shadow chancellor and mother of the house Diane Abbott has questioned whether Sir Keir understands the disappointment of the Waspi women.
“We did promise them that we’d give them justice,” Ms Abbott said. “I understand the issue about the cost, but does the prime minister really understand how let down Waspi women feel today?”
Sir Keir said: “Of course I do. I set out the history, Mr Speaker, but the research is clear that 90 per cent of those impacted did know about the change.
He repeated that the taxpayer can’t afford the burden, adding that he “did understand the concerns”.
Watch: Pensioners will ‘possibly die’ this Christmas because of government, Badenoch claims
Tories failed to discuss compensation for 14 years, says Starmer
Independent MP Ian Byrne says his Liverpool West Derby has over 5,000 Waspi women affected by the state pension change.
Mr Byrne calls on MPs to be given a vote on whether to give Waspi women compensation.
“In the current economic circumstances, the taxpayer can’t bear the burden of tens of billions of compensation,” Sir Keir said.
Turning to the opposition benches, Sir Keir says: “They’re chuntering away, [but] in fourteen years they accelerated the changes, and not once spoke about compensation.”
The taxpayer can’t afford Waspi compensation - Starmer
Ben Lake, of Plaid Cymru, asked if Labour’s rejection of compensation for Waspi women - after years posing as an ally - is “what the prime minister meant when he promised to lead a government of change”.
Sir Keir said it is a “serious issue” and a “complex issue”.
He repeated Labour’s claim that 90 per cent of affected women knew about the changes - a claim disputed by Waspi campaigners, who say three in five did not know about the changes.
“The tax payer simply can’t afford the tens of billions of pounds of compensation, when the evidence does show that 90 per cent of those impacted did know about it,” the PM told the house.
Ed Davey declines to bring up Waspi women
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has declined to grill Sir Keir Starmer on the refusal of compensation for Waspi women.
He asked instead about support for young carers.
“We continue to work across the sector to ensure all schools identify support and record data on young carers,” Sir Keir responded.
Badenoch grills Starmer on pensioners
Ms Badenoch used most of her questions to grill Mr Starmer on winter fuel payments and the government’s treatment of pensioners.
“We had to make tough choices,” Mr Starmer told the Tory leader in a feisty yet uneventful exchange, in which he accused the Tories of leaving Labour with a financial black hole.
Labour stabilising the economy has allowed them to commit to the pension triple-lock, he added.
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