Reeves says compensating Waspi women not ‘best use of taxpayers’ money’ as backlash grows – UK politics live | Politics




Wes Streeting, the health secretary, is giving evidence to the Commons health committee. The hearing is just starting and there is a live feed here.

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Good morning. Keir Starmer is facing his last PMQs of the year and, if he takes a glance at the papers this morning, he will find that he is being attacked by the Tory papers for not implementing a Jeremy Corbyn manifesto promise. Here are two of the headlines about yesterday’s announcement that the government will not compensate the so-called Waspi (Women Against State Pension Inequality) women – women who lost out because they were not properly notified about the planned rise in their state pension age.

The Daily Telegraph has not splashed on the story, but it does have it on the front, under the headline “Labour betrays Waspi women with U-turn on pension payouts”. It is true that, when Corbyn was leader, Labour did promise compensation for the Waspi women. But when the parliamentary and health service ombudsman (PHSO) recommended compensation worth up to £10bn in a report earlier this year, Keir Starmer very deliberately did not commit to implementing this, and his manifesto did not promise Waspi compensation.

Starmer is probably comfortable ignoring criticism from the pro-Conservative papers, but he will be more concerned about the fact that the Daily Mirror has taken up this cause too.

Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has been giving interviews this morning about the latest inflation figures (not great – more here) and she said paying compensation to the Waspi women would not be “the best use of taxpayers’ money”. She said:

I understand that women affected by the changes to the state pension age feel disappointed by this decision, but we looked in full at the ombudsman recommendations and they said that around 90% of women did know that these changes were coming.

And as chancellor, I have to account for every penny of taxpayers’ money spent.

And given that the vast majority of people did know about these changes, I didn’t judge that it would be the best use of taxpayers’ money to pay an expensive compensation bill for something that most people knew was happening.

Here is the agenda for the day.

9.30am: Wes Streeting, the health secretary, gives evidence to the Commons health committee.

Noon: Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs.

4.30pm: Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, gives evidence to the Lords build environment committee on the grey belt.

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Posted: 2024-12-18 10:39:26

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