Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) women across the country say they have been “totally abandoned” by the Government as they mark 10 years of their fight for justice this month.
A poll of more than 5,000 WASPI women has found a collapse in support for the main political parties following ministers’ failure to compensate those affected by state pension age changes.
88% of WASPI women say their votes have been taken for granted by the Labour Party, following supportive pledges from hundreds of MPs prior to last year’s general election.
More than four-fifths (80%) of affected women say both the Labour and Conservative parties do not care about WASPI women, while Reform UK fares even worse at 85%.
When asked how they would vote if there were a general election tomorrow, two-in-five (38%) of respondents say they are either unsure or will not bother voting at all.
However, despite widespread dissatisfaction with the nation’s political leaders, the research shows that affected women are more determined than ever to influence the political debate.
More than half (51%) of WASPI women say they feel more motivated to vote at the next election, while a similar figure (47%) say they have become more politically active since the Government’s refusal to pay compensation in December 2024.
The findings come as WASPI campaigners mark a decade of campaigning, a period which has seen six Prime Ministers and nine Pensions Ministers.
With MPs set to return to Westminster within days, campaigners are gearing up for more action ahead of a critical budget set to be delivered by Rachel Reeves this autumn.
Government lawyers are also set to be hauled before High Court judges later this year, after campaigners secured a judicial review into the DWP’s refusal to compensate WASPI women.
If successful, the case could see ministers forced back to the drawing board on their response to the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s report.
Angela Madden, WASPI chair, said: “It is no surprise that WASPI women feel totally abandoned by those who once promised to right this historic injustice.
“After 10 years of campaigning, this generation of women are more determined than ever to secure the justice we are due.
“Despite the hopes of some, we are not going away. We know hundreds of MPs across the political parties back our calls for fair compensation, as do an overwhelming majority of the public.
“Ministers should heed the calls of many of their own MPs and get around the table with WASPI women, or face being forced to defend the indefensible in court later this year.”
