Boris Johnson is planning to weaponise the sad plight of 3.8 million 50s born women by blaming Tony Blair’s Labour government solely for the maladministration in not informing them about the six year delay in getting their pensions.
In a letter to one of his constituents, Anne Taylor, the PM provides his first detailed comment for some time on the plight of the pensioners. It comes as Parliamentary activity is being stepped up. The all party group of MPs on 50s women state pension inequality for women is pressing the Parliamentary Ombudsman to propose compensation of £10,000 for each woman. A Parliamentary motion by Ian Byrne, the Labour MP for Liverpool, West Derby, calls for full restitution for all 50s women, worth up to £50,000 for some, has been signed by 52 MPs.
Mr Johnson justifies blaming Labour by seizing on the finding of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Rob Behrens, who found that there was maladministration over a 28 month period from 2004 and 2007 solely under a Labour government.
He points out that the Ombudsman’s investigation has to go through two further stages and still has to consider whether there has been an injustice. Only then will it move on to discussing compensation and he insists that this will be ” limited to that specific window of time.”
” I await the next stages of this process, but it is important to stress, that the ombudsman investigation is not an entire review of the State Pension increase from 1993 -2011.”
Actually he is wrong here, as the Ombudsman did consider the wider period but as I have written in an earlier blog, one of the flaws of his findings, was that it exonerated Whitehall action in the earlier period, including when Peter Lilley, then social security secretary, ignored warnings by civil servants of the need to inform the women.
He is also wrong about the court judgement when the Court of Appeal rejected a judicial review and the Supreme Court refused to hear BackTo60s case. He cites WASPI in this case and seems to think they were calling for a review of the pension age to 60. This insults both groups.
Boris Johnson has changed his mind on the issue. In a blog in 2019 I wrote about his two faced approach – first supporting women during his Tory leadership campaign and then dropping them after the court decision.
What is disturbing about this latest letter is that it offers little hope of any support for their case from the Prime Minister. It also suggests that he is building up ammunition to accuse Labour of being responsible for all the mistakes – hoping they will stay mum for fear that he will accuse Keir Starmer of being responsible for the women’s plight.
Bizarrely the Ombudsman’s findings leave him aiding and abetting the PM’s stance. It also means those hoping for a quick decision on compensation from the Ombudsman are going to be very disappointed as the PM will hope it is dragged out for years.
As for his constituent Anne, this is her view: ‘Having less than 2 years to prepare for a 6 year hike was shocking enough. Nothing could have prepared me for the way I have felt since, I have literally had my hair turn grey, lost my sense of self and felt like a second class citizen. I had no idea how aged I would become in this time. I have 6 months of my sentence to go, I will never forgive this and successive governments for not giving back our earned dues’.
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Of course he is going to put the blame on everyone else, this is how he works, he never takes responsibility , it isn’t in his nature, even if he could help he won’t.
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Grrrrrr he stands there so smug I checked my pension for 6 years ago and said oh you have 5 years and 8 months , I nearly dropped through the floor with shock they stole my pension and I have I’ll health working a small part time job , get up at 4 am . So he’s not satisfied he is now taking more national insurance , what for you already robbed me now he’s going to do it again you might as-well not be on this earth .I cannot stand it any more. With the gas .they need to be banged to rights . It’s not a joke any more , he’s giving money out and cannot help us the older ones he’s disgusting and vile !
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Every day I wake up and wonder if my pain would go away I am tired of taking pills to keep the pain at a level where I can manage to get through the day. During these 6 years of waiting, I wonder if my health would be better. I feel angry that governments have treated us like fools, to be honest, I think that is partly our fault we fell into the system this is what the wife does and this is what the husband does. Watching the women in the sewing factory I found myself thinking ‘that’s US’ we trusted the system we never thought that OUR money would be taken without letting people know what they were doing. Again over this covid outbreak I never went outside the door for 18 months I was shielded but find it hard to go out it is getting to a point where I really don’t want to go out this is hard for my partner. WHAT can we do if this was France the streets would be full of people they go and let their government know what they are doing is wrong so STOP IT and a lot of them do get stopped.
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This is so against true equality and with conservative leveling up policies…it really didnt matter who was responsible..what matters is what is happening now…
Boris was voted for by these women in which he promised he would look into their plight..he has let these 3.8 million women down
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The Man (for want of a better word) is a liar through & through, he is smug and nasty to the core. I absolutely hate him, any woman who votes for him only have themselves to blame. He is an embarrassment and I just hope we get our long awaited justice, if only to wipe the smug off his smug face. Once again blaming everyone else but himself, and the rest of his Government are as bad.
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Why does none of this surprise me. Boris just wants to blame everyone but himself for everything.
Meanwhile it’s us the 50’s women who are suffering physically. Mentally and financially. Never mind the more time he wastes he will have less to pay those who are left. It’s an insult to our intelligence if he thinks we can’t workout the political game’s he is playing. The man has no shame.
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Thankyou so much David for all you have done for 1950’s women it is really appreciated .I tried to donate £5.00 to help fund /support your on going investigations ( would dearly like to be able to afford more but certainly can’t at this time am struggling as it is ! ) but it is only facilitating donations of £10.00 or more . Please accept my heartfelt thanks and blessing to you and your family. Kind regards Carol Whitby 1956 Wirral
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Thanks for your kind words and your thoughts. Very kind of you to think about donating. It is always the thought that counts
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I thought when we won the case, that was that, and it was up to the ombudsman to let parliament know what compensation we were having. Have the women from gloucester had there compensation. Will somebody please hurry this through before any more women die.
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sad to say it is going tp take some time
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I think they will wait until we are all dead and buried so they don’t have to pay anything at all mark my words he is a liar through and through.
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It really does not matter which Government was in power at the time. MP’s of all parties voted! What matters now is that this Government does something g to help us 1950’s ladies. I recall Boris saying when he was canvassing for votes “I will look at this with fresh eyes, it has been going on for far too long”. Well now we know his words were empty, he has had too many parties to attend to help us ladies 😡. This matter rally gosh back to 1993 and all parties have had a hand in this, so what is really important is which party will step up and put this matter right, NOW and not in 10 years time when there will be even fewer of us left to benefit from any compensation they may decide to pay us!
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That’s what they are planning for, it’s an absolute disgrace.
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Thank you once again David for your insight, tenacity & frankly bravery in pursuing this reality for so many abandoned 1950’s women. If this course of action is pursued by PM i feel it will have disastrous consequences, not only for the women so adversely affected in an era of mysogynous claims, but also for those who try to strike again, whilst deflecting attention by blaming others. These are all the immoralities we were educated to reject. Mistruth should be Ed be rewarded, lies are incongruent with honesty. If we need a new definition we should not forget the moral backbone. So grateful for you – Staying with the truth Julie
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Boris is a liar a con man a robber and a corrupt man he’s the worst PM we have ever had he is only bothered about himself he a disaster for the people and the country tories should all be out they all abuse thier power being a 1950’s woman I only got notice 2 months before my 60th birthday in 2015 that I had to wait an extra 6 years I had no time to plan for my future because the government took away any right I had in that 6 yrs I had to rely on my children to get me through it was degrading and shameful for me to have to live of my kids I can’t leave them or my grandchildren anything I can’t afford to pay towards my only daughters wedding and I can’t go to it either she lives in Australia and if that’s not bad enough I can’t even afford my own funeral I will die penniless how upsetting worrying and demeaning is that its made me more ill than what I already was and taking away my pension as made me hate myself and my life
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Its an absolute disgrace that us women have been made to feel the way we do, we have done absolutely nothing wrong, unless it was wrong to expect something we had been promised. I had 48 years of full contributions and waited an extra 5 years 11 months for my pension, where has all that money gone that we have been robbed of?
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Dear David Hencke,
Once the Ombudsman first report said there was communication from 1995 to 2004, the case has been lost.
The complaint is against the lack of communication of a law passed in 1995.
The parliamentary debate for women’s pension age rise, ran from 1993 to 1995, was during a Tory government. Another lack of communication.
Backto60 was back to 60, as they ran what ended up the near 1m signature petition for women’s pension age to revert to 60, that was given in to No 10 Downing Street several times, as it grew by the thousands of signatures.
The actuaries (experts on death trends) knew pension age rise would mean people long dead before retirement, and this came to pass, as they followed, from 2011 onwards, the increase of early death of women aged in their 50s and 60s. Especially from 2014 and 2015, when the loss of half a decade of state pension hit the most women.
Over 50s party (that could happen if the knowledgeable people made it a reality) would, in government, bring pension age 60 men and women and age 50 works pension age, as well as full living state pension of £380 per week, all pensioners old and knew, from age 60.
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Us 50 ‘s women had to take time out to bring up children we had no child care like today .We lived on one wage the husbands and family allowance. We did not have tax credits ect like today . Mens pention age went up 1 year womens 6 ! Women was unable to put into a private pention as working part time to fit in with the children ! And most of all was not giving notice or time to save for our pention for the extra 6 year needing to work ! I was made redundant at 61 and found it hard to seek employment at that age I have 2 part time jobs l! Unfair to move the goalposts and not staggering the age increase and longer notice to prepare to save !
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I’m 66 in October, after fighting cancer and losing the battle ,I am now terminally I’ll.
I have 6 -12 months left and I have worked until a few months ago.
I won’t be getting my state pension ,I won’t be here 😒
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really sorry to hear about your plight. So unfair
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How absolutely awful, my heart goes out to you and the many other women who this has happened to, God Bless.
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So sad my hubby never got his state pension either served his country and worked so hard it’s so unfair my brother died at 28 no pension for him either my thoughts and prayers are with you
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I just feel so let down it’s as if the government are very anti women I finally got my state pension in 2018 after working 50 years I was 64 years 8 months and 12 days old I was a cook for 50 years I’m full of arthritis and doing such a heavy job just about finished me
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Johnson is an unashamed-faced liar on the steps of Downing Street December 2019 and even now because he promised to sort it & hasn’t.
Major caused the whole issue by bailing his Government out at the expense of 50’s born women.
The rest of the UK Governments just added to our misery by ignoring or acting even further against women eg Gordon Brown stopping access to Autocredits for women but not men.
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Yet another example of ‘kick the can down the road politics: delay long enough and, hopefully, we whinging women, who had our lives and well-being stolen, may die off before any decision is made, let alone payment!
Even if they paid compensation, those of us who were made sick by our abuse and ill-treatment would have to pay some back, as the monies would be regarded as ‘savings’ and they would simply reduce the meagre benefits they pay us.
Both Labour & Conservatives are guilty of this blatant theft and they never accounted for the £271 billion misappropriated from the pension pot. Still, someone had to pay for the Downing Street parties and obscenely tasteless decorations at No.10!
Sadly, Britain has become a totally corrupt nation with the example being firmly set by those at the top. I appreciate the efforts of David and all those involved but your sanity is best served by expecting nothing to come of it now; it’s raising your hopes only to have them successively dashed that causes the despondency.
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I simply cannot understand the reasons for endless delays. Surely someone in power has the willpower to finally stop procrastinating and stopping the endless talking and start delivering the pensions that we PAID for.
Another point is to ensure that the State Pension already being paid for early 50s men and women is ‘levelled up’ to a single figure for all. The discrepancy in payments is yet another inequality amounting to a difference of £180 (a monthly shortfall for early 50s women and men )
Everything about the UK State pension is riddled with inequality and unfairness. It is also very low to other countries.
Katie
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It took 31 years of asking to get my 1st knee op & 35 years to get my 2nd knee op done four months ago.
I’ve only had 2 visits from the hospital physiotherapist on both occasions (I do Love our NHS) but 2 visits is like a Mr Men sticking plaster to ‘Fix’ everything. I worked & paid NI for 39 years, mostly in a lot of pain. Potential employers are not impressed with my current physical condition, which is no surprise to me. They want young muscle for their minimum wages.
My whole working life, as all 1950s Women has been entirely UNEQUAL since the day we started work. This government does not deserve to have our experience enter the workforce again for tuppence ha’penny. It’s insulting. WE’RE DONE.
Successive governments must be so proud of themselves, but mostly the current one.
I’m most ashamed of the Women who voted for & continued to perpetuate this situation for us all.
I will name them: Margaret Thatcher, Therese May & Therese Coffey.
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