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Daisy Cooper says party shocked and angry over Labour government’s refusal to spend up to £10bn on payouts
The Liberal Democrats could force a Commons vote on compensation for Waspi women, the party’s deputy leader has said, capitalising on unease among Labour MPs over the government’s decision to rule it out.
Daisy Cooper suggested the Lib Dems were open to using one of their upcoming opposition day debates in the House of Commons to call for a vote on the issue, which could test the strength of feeling among Labour backbenchers.
The Guardian reported last week that as many as 100 Labour MPs could vote against the government’s decision to rule out spending up to £10bn on compensation for women born in the 1950s who were not aware of changes to the state pension age.
Keir Starmer said last week that taxpayers could not afford the compensation package that the parliamentary ombudsman had recommended. He and other Labour figures had previously appeared in photographs alongside Waspi women to lend their support.
Rachel Reeves, who had also appeared to support the campaigners, told the Guardian there was nothing in Labour’s last general election manifesto that made commitments on compensation.
“It was in our manifesto in 2019 but we all know what happened in that general election, and you’ll remember as well at that general election Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell said that you would fund it from the reserve,” the chancellor said.
“Well, what reserve? There was no reserve. The previous [Conservative] government had spent the reserve three months into the financial year, three times over.”
“This country can’t afford it. It would mean less money for our schools and our hospitals, and in the end you have to make difficult choices.”
Cooper told PA Media: “We’re very angry about it and we do think the government needs to think again. What you can see is that there are MPs of all political parties, including on Labour’s own backbenches, who are very concerned. So we will continue to raise it in parliament at every opportunity and that may include an opposition day debate.”
. She said the Lib Dems had been “really shocked” when ministers said they would not follow the ombudsman’s recommendation.
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The watchdog said the women should be paid up to £2,950 each, a package with a potential total cost of £10.5bn to the public purse, because poor communication meant they had lost out on the chance to plan their retirement finances.
Ministers ruled this out and said paying the money to members of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign would not be a fair use of taxpayer cash.
Lib Dems could force Commons vote on Waspi compensation, says Cooper
