It is unlikely the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign will make any further headway due to a total lack of support in government, former pensions minister Baroness Ros Altmann has said.
Campaign group WASPI say changes to the state pension age have placed an unfair burden on hundreds of thousands of women born in the 1950s. They want these women to be given more time to prepare for the changes – which equalise state pension ages between men and women – which were sped up by the coalition government.
Altmann said her support for the women put her at risk during her tenure as pensions minister as it alienated many Conservative MPs and ministers.
She said the there is no backing for the movement at the highest level of the Conservative party and while some Tory MPs did support the campaign she was left in an isolated position as no one higher up the ministerial pecking order was willing to help.
Altmann told Professional Adviser: “There is absolutely no support, no money would be offered, no willingness to help at all.
“No conservative MPs at ministerial level would help and I needed MPs of their level to help pass new pension regulation.
“This has always been a huge issue.”
State pension age changes were first announced in 1995. Further amendments were made in 2011 when the coalition government confirmed the new pension age of 65 would be brought in two years earlier than planned in 2018 and both genders would see it rise to 66 in 2020.
Members of WASPI want the government to intervene over the changes but, despite parliamentary debates on the issue including one as a result of an e-petition, have been told no further concessions will be made.
Altmann said previously that state pension age changes were “mis-sold” to the public. The work and pensions committee has also criticised the way the changes were communicated.
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