More than Labour 100 seats could be at risk at the next general election because of the Government’s refusal to compensate Waspi women, analysis by The i Paper has revealed.
Labour holds 135 seats in England and Wales where the number of women affected by the change in the state pension age is higher than the party’s majority.
In 58 of these constituencies, the estimated population of these women – often referred to as Waspis (Women Against State Pension Inequality) – is more than double Labour’s majority. In nine cases, the Waspi population is more than ten times the majority.
The figures highlight the electoral risk Labour could face following its decision not to offer the women compensation.
Many Waspi women have stated that they would not vote Labour again after the party ruled out offering compensation to those affected.
Campaigners had called for £10,000 each for the 50s-born women who expected their state pension at 60 but had to wait another five or six years.
However, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told the Commons last week that the approximately £10bn payout would not be a “fair or proportionate” use of taxpayers’ money.
There is now a growing cohort of Labour MPs who are publicly criticising the Government’s decision not to offer compensation. Many are threatening to defy the party whip to show support for Waspi women.
It is understood that the Liberal Democrats plan to pressure the Government to hold a vote on the matter, and the SNP have also spoken out in favour of a vote.
Labour now faces the prospect of a party rebellion on the issue, and so far around 30 of the party’s MPs have criticised the Government’s decision,
Many of these MPs are in marginal seats where there is a large population of Waspi women.
They include Neil Duncan-Jordan, the MP for Poole, who wrote in the wake of the decision that he does not “agree with the Government’s decision” and that a wealth tax should be introduced to fund it.
He gained the seat from the Conservatives this year with a majority of just 18 votes. According to data from the House of Commons Library, there are approximately 5,640 women impacted by state pension age changes in his constituency.
Terry Jermy, the South West Norfolk MP who narrowly unseated former prime minister Liz Truss earlier this year, currently has a majority of 630 votes.
The number of Waspi women in his constituency is over 10 times larger, with approximately 6,780 eligible to vote for him.
Like Duncan-Jordan, he has also publicly criticised his own party over the Waspi compensation decision. Jermy told The i Paper that while he “fully recognise[s]” the challenges of the current economic situation “the Labour Party has long been a supporter of the Waspi campaign”.
“I believe 3.8 million Waspi women up and down the country deserve to be financially compensated as a result of the injustice that occurred,” he said.
Cat Eccles, MP for Stourbridge, said she was “deeply disappointed with the government’s refusal to compensate” Waspi women, adding that she supports “fast and fair compensation.
Her seat has an estimated Waspi population of 5,450. In July, she gained the constituency from the Conservatives with a majority of 3,073.
Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes MP Melanie Onn urged the Work and Pensions Secretary in the Commons to “reconsider that at some point in the future” regarding the decision on whether to offer Wasp womeni compensation.
She won her constituency from the Conservatives with a majority of 4,803, and there are approximately 6,150 Waspi women in her seat.
However, the majority of the Labour MPs who have spoken out against the Government are in seats which are not considered marginal.
Rachael Maskell, MP for York Outer, has called on the Government to be “on the side of poorest pensioners” and said she was concerned about the human impact of the decision.
She holds her seat with a majority of over 19,000 and has around 4,600 Waspi women in her area.
