By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS

In the Guardian today:

Campaigners have threatened the government with legal action unless it reconsiders its decision to rule out spending £10bn compensating “Waspi” (Women Against State Pension Inequality) women hit by the change in the state pension age.

What’s the case?

Many WASPI woman are now looking after elderly relatives and grandchildren, in a way far less common among men of comparable age, as well as experiencing worsening health. Research from Age UK, found 26% of single older women live in poverty compared to 21% of single older men.The Mental Health Foundation reported that depression affects around 22% of men and 28% of women aged 65 and over, with 85% reporting no help from the NHS.

Around 270,000 WASPI women, across the UK, have already died before reaching State Pension Age.  Only BBC Business covered this. BBC Scotland is, of course, protecting Anas Sarwar from scrutiny. Even BBC Scotland Business does not have it.

How are our local Scottish Labour MPs fighting for the many Waspi women in their constituencies?

Here’s mine.

Labour MP, Elaine Stewart, former boxing club treasurer, sits nervously on her hands and betrays the 7 000 Waspi women in Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock

In the vote on 29^th January 2025, in the House of Commons, to follow the Ombudsman’s recommendation and compensate the Waspi women, Elaine Stewart, MP for Ayr Carrick and Cumnock, did not vote, resulting in the betrayal of these women, many caring for elderly and vulnerable relatives, minding grandchildren so that their sons and daughters can work in this difficult cost-of-living crisis or seriously unwell themselves.

10 of her Labour colleagues did have the courage to vote. You have to wonder how a volunteer and the treasurer of Doon Valley amateur boxing club could be so chicken.

10 Labour MPs did have the courage to deny Sir Keir Starmer, recipient of £100 000 in gifts in his first few months of office.

Why is this such a betrayal?

The 1995 Conservative Government’s State Pension Act included plans to increase the women’s state pension retirement age from 60 to 65. Because of the way the increases were brought in, women born in the 1950s (on or after 6th April 1950-5th April 1960) 3.8 million women were affected. Significant changes to the age they received their state pension were imposed without appropriate notification.[i]

Many WASPI woman are now looking after elderly relatives and grandchildren, in a way far less common among men of comparable age, as well as experiencing worsening health.

Research from Age UK, found 26% of single older women live in poverty compared to 21% of single older men.[ii] The Mental Health Foundation reported that depression affects around 22% of men and 28% of women aged 65 and over, with 85% reporting no help from the NHS.[iii]

Around 270,000 WASPI women, across the UK, have already died before reaching State Pension Age.[iv] Many more will do the same judging by Labour’s reluctance to commit to any compensation once in government. [v]

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[i] https://www.waspi.co.uk/background-information/

[ii] https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:a1d67482-348a-48af-86fb-a92334950473

[iii] https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/statistics/older-people-statistics#:~:text=Depression%20affects%20around%2022%25%20of,at%20all%20from%20the%20NHS

[iv] https://moneyweek.com/personal-finance/pensions/waspi-women-compensation

[v] https://twitter.com/SaulStaniforth/status/1771838709215707446?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1771838709215707446%7Ctwgr%5Ec3549c678d5ddd048318498b06f2afd0f374c661%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fgraemedey.info%2Flabour-ditches-commitment-to-waspi-women%2F

This is now who Stewart is.

New Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock Labour MP betrays all she claims to stand for and votes to keep the cruel two child benefit cap and her £91K job

Before the General Election in the local Ayrshire newspapers:

Elaine Stewart, Labour candidate said: “As someone who works daily with children and young people in some of the affected communities, I can assure you that reason I am standing is to ensure that the child poverty is high on the agenda on a daily basis.

“I run food banks and, to be perfectly honest, children and young people should not be eating from this form of support on a daily basis.

“Addressing child poverty in Scotland requires a sustained, collaborative effort across various sectors and levels of government, with active involvement from communities and families affected by poverty. 

“If elected, I will ensure one of my missions is to fight hard to bring those statistics down.”

Tonight, shamefully, she voted with all but 7 English Labour MPs, to keep the two-child limit on benefits.

Why is this so important?

Local child poverty rates across the UK correlate very strongly with the percentage of families affected by the two-child benefit cap, research has found, indicating that the controversial policy is a key factor behind children growing up in deprivation.

The study, carried out by Loughborough University for the End Child Poverty Coalition, will heap pressure on Labour over the party’s refusal to abolish the cap, which limits universal credit and child tax credit to a family’s first two children, if they come into power.

Hypocrisy? Worse than that. Betrayal. Moral decay.

Sources:

https://www.ardrossanherald.com/news/24373391.election-candidates-ayrshires-child-poverty-shame/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c978m6z3egno

https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/06/two-child-benefit-cap-is-a-key-driver-of-child-poverty-in-uk-research-suggests

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