Women’s State Pension age (Ombudsman report and compensation scheme): Ten Minute Rule Motion

What happened: On 28 January 2025, the House of Commons passed a Ten Minute Rule Motion calling for the government to establish a compensation scheme for women affected by changes to the state pension age, in response to a Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report on the matter. The motion passed by 105 votes to 0, with no MPs voting against it.

Why it matters: The motion concerns women born in the 1950s whose state pension age was raised from 60 to 66, many of whom say they received inadequate notice of the change. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman found that the Department for Work and Pensions failed in its communication of the changes and recommended financial remedies. The motion, if translated into government policy, would require the creation of a formal compensation scheme for those affected, potentially involving significant public expenditure. The women most affected, often referred to as WASPI women (Women Against State Pension Inequality), have campaigned for redress for several years.

The politics: The vote was notable for what was absent as much as what was present. While 105 MPs voted in favour, 351 Labour MPs did not vote, and the Labour government's position on the motion was recorded as unclear. The Liberal Democrats led the charge with 62 Ayes, making up the largest bloc of supporters. Eight independents, eight SNP members, five Democratic Unionist Party members, and small numbers from the Greens, Plaid Cymru, Reform UK, and the Conservatives also backed the motion. The result reflects broad but thin cross-party sympathy for the WASPI cause, set against a government that has not committed to implementing the Ombudsman's recommendations.