Waspi women latest: Starmer faces growing Labour rebellion after ‘breaking promise’ on pensions compensation
Starmer’s Labour was accused of broken promises at PMQs over its decision not to pay compensation to 3.8 million Waspi women
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Your support makes all the difference.Keir Starmer faces a growing Labour rebellion after being accused of breaking a promise in a decision not to compensate Waspi women.
Up to 50 Labour MPs would vote against the government’s decision to rule out spending £10bn compensating the women if a vote is held, The Independent understands.
Waspi refers to a woman born between 1950 and 1960 who was disadvantaged by the 1995 Pensions Act, which increased their pensionable age from 60 to 65.
The group - Women Against State Pension Inequality - was set up in 2015 to campaign for compensation over the Act.
On Wednesday, Downing Street said there were no plans for a vote on the issue. However, the Lib Dems are calling for a vote. If denied, the party could hold a backbench debate or opposition day.
It comes after Mother of the House Diane Abbott accused the Labour government of breaking a previous promise to compensate the Waspi women.
“We did promise them that we would give them justice,” Ms Abbott said. “I understand the issue about the cost, but does the prime minister really understand how let down Waspi women feel today?”
All of Starmer’s ‘betrayals’ and U-turns as Labour faces Waspi women backlash
Waspi women’s fury as Starmer says they knew about pension change
As a ‘cuspy Waspi’ woman, I have another reason to be furious with Labour’s pensions betrayal
From Waspi ‘betrayal’ to winter fuel cuts, Starmer’s U-turns will come back to haunt him
Minister defends government negotiations on the Chagos Islands
Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said the Mauritian prime minister is “willing to conclude this deal with the United Kingdom” as he defended the Government’s negotiations on the Chagos Islands.
Responding to shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel he told MPs: “We are absolutely not damaging our security. We are protecting it through this deal, and that is why this deal has been agreed to protect the operation of that base, to protect it against the legal uncertainty, and to ensure that it is on a safe footing well into the next century.”
He added: “(Dame Priti) asked me, would we be able to extend the lease? The answer is yes. Would we continue to have the autonomy of our operations for those allies? Absolutely yes. Are there safeguards in place to prevent foreign forces or others on the outer islands? Absolutely yes. I have answered the questions on costs a number of times in the House. We are very, very clear that it is not normal practice for the United Kingdom to confirm the value of its payments for military bases anywhere across the globe.”
Mr Doughty further stated: “She referred to media reports, there is a huge amount of speculation. Let’s get back to the actual facts on this which is that the prime minister has confirmed himself in Mauritius to his assembly, that he is willing to conclude this deal with the United Kingdom. Those are the facts and we will protect our national security and our interests.”
Inflation analysis: Prices rising faster means higher borrowing costs for longer amid recession fears
The rise in inflation last month is likely to mean higher borrowing costs for longer.
Prices rose at the faster rate of 2.6 per cent in November, up from 2.3 per cent in October.
The faster price gains for consumer goods like food and energy place inflation outside the Bank of England’s target rate of 2 per cent, which means a fall in interest rates is unlikely, economists say.
Petrol prices, train travel and products such as margarine and eggs helped drive up prices the most, the Office for National Statistics said.
Howard Mustoe reports:
Prices rising faster means higher borrowing costs for longer amid recession fears
The rise in inflation last month is likely to mean higher borrowing costs for longer
PM denys he ‘misled’ Waspi campaginers
The Prime Minister does not accept that he “misled” Waspi campaigners by backing their calls for compensation, Downing Street has said.
Asked whether Sir Keir Starmer would accept that characterisation, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “No, but as I say I can’t speak to comments made pre-election.
“But the point that I’d make is that in Government the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for DWP have been able to study the Ombudsman’s report and it is very clear that this cohort faced no direct financial loss as a result of delays in DWP sending out those letters, that by 2006 90% of the cohort were aware that the state pension age was changing.
“He and the secretary of state yesterday were very clear that this is a difficult decision, it is not one that has been taken lightly, but it’s based on the evidence in the Ombudsman’s report.”
Sir Keir’s spokesperson added the government has “no plans” for a vote on whether to compensate women affected by changes to the state pension age.
Labour’s new bill for children: What parents need to know
Labour has introduced its landmark children’s bill to parliament, bringing in a range of sweeping changes which will affect both parents and educators.
Introduced by Department for Education (DfE) secretary Bridget Phillipson, the new legislation is designed to improve children’s safety and education standards in the UK.
Ms Phillipson said: “In recent years, too many children have been failed by their last line of defence: the state.”
“This bill will be a seminal moment for child protection. No more words, no more lessons learnt. This government will put children first at every turn.”
Albert Toth explains everything you need to know about the plans:
Labour’s new laws for children: What parents need to know
Changes to homeschooling and academies come in Labour’s landmark bill
Watch: Diane Abbott accuses Starmer of ‘breaking promise’ to Waspi women in heated PMQs
Revealed: Brexit has reduced UK exports by £27bn, new report claims
A damning report has revealed that British exports have been hit with a £27 billion loss as a result of Brexit.
The paper by the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) has found that Boris Johnson’s Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) has reduced total goods exports from the UK by an estimated £27bn (or 6.4 per cent) in 2022 – due to a 13.2 per cent fall in the value of goods exported to the EU.
It comes as the government prepares to open talks in the new year for a Brexit deal reset with the EU but is being pressed to make significant compromises on allowing the European Court of Justice to have jurisdiction in the UK and allowing free movement for young people.
The CEP, based at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), uses data from more than 100,000 firms to estimate the gap between the actual value of exports under the TCA and what would have been expected had the UK remained in the EU.
Political editor David Maddox reports:
Revealed: Brexit has reduced UK exports by £27bn, new report claims
A report by the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) has revealed that small businesses have been worst hit by a £27bn drop in exports caused by Brexit
Diane Abbott confronts Keir Starmer over Waspi compensation
Diane Abbott: We promised we’d give them justice
Former Labour shadow chancellor and mother of the house Diane Abbott has questioned whether Sir Keir understands the disappointment of the Waspi women.
“We did promise them that we’d give them justice,” Ms Abbott said. “I understand the issue about the cost, but does the prime minister really understand how let down Waspi women feel today?”
Sir Keir said: “Of course I do. I set out the history, Mr Speaker, but the research is clear that 90 per cent of those impacted did know about the change.
He repeated that the taxpayer can’t afford the burden, adding that he “did understand the concerns”.
Watch: Pensioners will ‘possibly die’ this Christmas because of government, Badenoch claims
Tories failed to discuss compensation for 14 years, says Starmer
Independent MP Ian Byrne says his Liverpool West Derby has over 5,000 Waspi women affected by the state pension change.
Mr Byrne calls on MPs to be given a vote on whether to give Waspi women compensation.
“In the current economic circumstances, the taxpayer can’t bear the burden of tens of billions of compensation,” Sir Keir said.
Turning to the opposition benches, Sir Keir says: “They’re chuntering away, [but] in fourteen years they accelerated the changes, and not once spoke about compensation.”
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