𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

When I met Andy Burnham during the Makerfield by-election, he did not just offer sympathy. He looked me in the eye and promised to sit down to discuss fair redress for WASPI women.

Four months later, the Prime Minister no doubt has a long list of things he wants to do, but ending the long-running injustice for 1950s-born women is something he has backed for more than a decade.

Today, senior MPs from 10 different parties have written to the Prime Minister urging him to compensate these women without delay.

It is rare to see Labour, Tory, Lib Dem and Green politicians all signing the same letter. The fact they have done so tells you how strongly Parliament feels.

The public feel it too. New research of more than 10,000 voters shows that supporters of compensation at some level outnumber opponents by almost four to one.

After a six-year investigation, the Parliamentary Ombudsman found that 1950s-born women suffered injustice because of the Government’s failure to tell them their State Pension age was increasing and said compensation should be paid.

That was two and a half years ago. Women who planned their retirements in good faith are still waiting, and too many have died without ever seeing justice.

We have always said we want to work pragmatically with ministers to find a solution that is fair to both affected women and the taxpayer.

Andy Burnham has stood by us for years. Few Prime Ministers get such a clear opportunity to right a wrong like this, with the backing of hundreds of MPs and the country.

So, our message to him is simple: meet us, and let’s get this done together.