The Government is facing fury over its decision not to compensate women affected by the way changes to the state pension age were communicated.
Rushanara Ali grilled on Waspi compensation by Burley
A Labour minister was savaged by Kay Burley over the decision not to compensate Waspi women during a tense Sky News grilling.
Rushanara Ali insisted the move would not have been “fair or proportionate” use of public money and that 90% of women born in the 1950s knew that the state pension was increasing.
She also highlighted the triple lock policy and blamed the state of the public finances.
But the Sky News presenter repeatedly said “I’m talking about Waspi women” and urged her to “stay on topic” as she pressed the Labour MP on the issue.
Ms Ali, the homelessness minister, said: “First of all this is of course a very difficult decision.
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Rushanara Ali and Kay Burley (Image: SKY NEWS)
“The situation is that in terms of the compensation it would be up to some £10 billion which we don’t feel is fair or proportionate in terms of use of public money given that some 90% of those affected it would not have made a difference in terms of the delay in the letters.
“The reality is this has been a very difficult issue for those affected and it’s deeply regrettable. Lessons will need to be learned.
“In terms of what we’re doing more broadly the triple lock… Our focus is making sure we fix the foundations, we inherited a mess…”
Ms Burley pointed out that Labour previously promised a £58 billion package of compensation for Waspi women.
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Ms Ali said: “If you look at the Ombudsman report it’s very clear that nine out of 10 women it would not have made a difference in terms of the letters being received.
“The focus is on how we use public money and we don’t believe up to £10 billion would be a fair and proportionate response. Our focus is on tackling the cost of living crisis.”
The Sky News presenter then asked: “Can you understand why people don’t believe a word you say?”
The Labour MP said: “We’ve got to focus on the issues at hand in terms of improving the living standards of pensioners and that’s why the triple lock is critical, that’s £30 billion of investment.”
It comes as the Government is facing a barrage of criticism over the decision announced yesterday.
