Anas Sarwar creates rift with Sir Keir Starmer after being 'deeply disappointed' by Waspi pensioner betrayal
Anas Sarwar has criticised Sir Keir Starmer’s government over its decision not to compensate the Waspi women, saying he is “deeply disappointed” by his Labour colleagues’ actions.
UK Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announced on Tuesday there would be no compensation for women born in the 1950s who were not aware of changes to the state pension age.
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Ms Kendall said it was an "extremely difficult decision", but the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign described the move as an "insult".
The move was immediately criticised from all political sides, with the Prime Minister – who has supported compensation for the women impacted – accused of betraying the cause.
The issue is now also the first major rift between Labour north and south of the Border since the general election after Mr Sarwar on Wednesday openly criticised his party colleagues in the UK government.
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Hide AdIn 2017, Mr Sarwar posted on social media that “under my leadership, Waspi women will finally receive the justice they deserve”.
The Scottish Labour leader, who has for years supported the Waspi campaign, hit out at Labour ministers for not agreeing to pay compensation.
He said: “I don’t think the decision the government has come to is the right one on compensation. I think they’ve come to the right place on injustice and they’ve come to the right place on an apology, but I don’t think it’s the right decision on compensation.
“I think, given the public finances, I think a different way forward could have been found.”
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Hide AdMr Sarwar added: “I agree with them on their frustration and that’s why I campaigned alongside them and I accept that frustration.


“Therefore, as I say, I don’t think this is the adequate package. I think it was right to have the apology, I think it was right to respect the injustice, but I think a fairer decision could have been made around the compensation.
“That fairer decision could have been recognising the current financial situation. They could have looked at targeted support for lower-income pensioners, they could have looked at tapering, they could have looked at increments. They could have looked at a whole host of issues.”
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Hide AdMr Sarwar suggested the UK government had been bogged down in “technical arguments” about what had happened at the Department for Work and Pensions and the Ombudsman report that found maladministration in its handling of the issue.
He said: “Yes, they’re owed an apology, something that the UK Labour government has recognised. But I think a blanket no-compensation position is the wrong one and I’m deeply disappointed by that.
“I think we could have found a way forward that recognised the difficult public finances, that recognised the difficult inheritance.”
Before Mr Sarwar’s intervention, his political opponents had called on him to stand up to his Westminster colleagues.
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Hide AdScottish Greens social justice spokesperson Maggie Chapman said: “It's time for Anas Sarwar to stop dancing to Keir Starmer's dreadful tune. He needs to grow a spine before it's too late.
“We know that Anas used to support fast, fair and full compensation for these women who have been ignored by politicians for decades. It’s time for him and his Labour colleagues to show it by standing up to Downing Street.”
At Westminster, Sir Keir denied MPs a vote on the decision to rule out compensation for the women affected as he was accused of “betrayal” from his own MPs.
The Prime Minister insisted taxpayers could not afford the £10.5 billion compensation package, and would not rise to calls for a vote on the move.
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Hide AdVeteran Labour MP Diane Abbott accused the Government of betraying the Waspi women.
"Promising one thing in Opposition and doing the opposite in Government is a betrayal," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after she joined rebel left-wing MPs in criticising the decision at Prime Minister's Questions.
"We did promise them that we will give them justice. I understand the issue about the cost, but does the Prime Minister really understand how let down Waspi women feel today?" she told the Commons.
Sir Keir insisted that paying compensation was not affordable when asked by Plaid Cymru MP Ben Lake if rejecting the financial package was part of his "Government of change".
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Hide AdHe described delays in communicating changes to the state pension age for women born in the 1950s as "unacceptable", and criticised George Osborne's move to accelerate the programme when he was chancellor.
The Prime Minister added: "It is a serious issue. It is a complex issue. The research, as he knows, shows that 90% of those impacted knew about the changes that were taking place.
"I am afraid to say the taxpayers simply cannot afford the tens of billions of pounds in compensation when the evidence does show that 90% of those impacted did know about it. That is because of the state of our economy."
Independent MP Ian Byrne told the chamber the Waspi women had experienced an "injustice done to them at the hands of the state".
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Hide AdHe asked: "Will the Prime Minister give members the opportunity to vote on whether they believe Waspi women are owed compensation?"
The Prime Minister did not address the call for a vote, and replied: "I just set out the factual background and the percentage that knew about the change, and the simple fact of the matter is, in the current economic circumstances, the taxpayer can't bear the burden of tens of billions of pounds in compensation."
Ms Reeves had earlier told broadcasters she understood the Waspi women's disappointment, but she had to "account for every penny of taxpayers' money spent" and judged compensation would not be fair.
In 2020, she appeared in a photograph alongside a group of the women, holding a placard pledging to work with them towards a "fair solution".
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Hide AdIn March, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) recommended the Government pay compensation to women born in the 1950s whose state pension age was raised so it would be equal with men.
The watchdog said the women should be paid up to £2,950 each, a package with a potential total cost of £10.5 billion to the public purse, as poor communication meant they had lost out on the chance to plan their retirement finances.
When Labour was led by Jeremy Corbyn , it promised some form of compensation for the Waspi women in its 2017 and 2019 manifestos.
But the party did not make this pledge during this year's general election.
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Hide AdThe Conservatives hit out at the "betrayal" of Waspi women, but shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith acknowledged the Tories might not have offered any compensation either.
Downing Street said the Prime Minister would not accept the suggestion he had "misled" Waspi campaigners, adding the decision had not "been taken lightly".
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