Labour MPs are mounting fresh pressure on ministers to reverse their stance on compensating Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaigners, emboldened by this week's successful campaigns that forced Government U-turns on disability benefits cuts.
The momentum follows Thursday's heated Commons debate where more than 150 MPs have now spoken out against the Government's December decision to reject state pension age compensation recommendations from the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
The debate, secured by Labour MP Rebecca Long-Bailey, revealed widespread anger across the party's backbenches over ministers' refusal to compensate women affected by state pension age changes.
Waspi campaigners packed the Commons gallery as MPs shared accounts of constituents impacted by what the Ombudsman identified as DWP "maladministration", with cross-party voices uniting to condemn the Government's inaction.
Labour is being called to U-turn on Waspi compensation
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Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper expressed frustration at the Government's choice to do nothing despite inheriting difficult circumstances.
"There are two problems facing the Government: the first is that this is an obvious injustice that is unaddressed; and the second is that it sets a very dangerous precedent," Cooper told the Commons.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn pointed to recent events as proof that change is possible, stating: "Over the course of recent weeks, we have seen that if there is a will, there is a way."
He urged Labour backbenchers to use their "newfound power" to push the Government towards addressing what he called a "historic, grievous wrong".
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The rise in the British State Pension over time, including the 4.1 per cent increase in 2025ChatGPTWaspi campaigners have launched a High Court legal challenge against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which received approval to proceed last month and is expected to reach court after the summer.
The case will see judges determine whether the Government must reconsider its rationale for dismissing the Parliamentary Ombudsman's compensation recommendations, potentially forcing ministers to revisit their response entirely.
Rebecca Long-Bailey, Labour MP for Salford and Co-Chair of the State Pension Inequality for Women APPG, warned that rejecting the Ombudsman's recommendations was "dangerous and unprecedented".
"It sets a precedent that regardless of what an independent adjudicator recommends concerning state-level injustice, the Government can now ignore them," she said, adding that denying the report was "akin to arguing that the world is flat".
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Campaigners are calling on policymakers to do more for women born in the 1950s WASPI Last year, the Parliament and Health Service (PHSO) determined that women born in the 1950s could be eligible for compensation due to being inadequately informed of changes to the state pension age after "maladministration" by the DWP.
Angela Madden, Chair of Women Against State Pension Inequality, emphasised the urgency of the situation following Thursday's debate, which again demonstrated the strength of parliamentary feeling on the issue.
"However, we should not have to wait for another Parliamentary debate or for the conclusion of a court case to act. WASPI women deserve justice and must be urgently compensated," Madden said.
She warned ministers directly: "Labour MPs have already demonstrated their power in forcing U-turns on proposed PIP and welfare cuts this week. If ministers want to avoid an embarrassing repeat of these events, they must think again."
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