Rachel Reeves has been savaged by the WASPI women over her reasoning behind not awarding them compensation.

Calls for women born in the 1950s to receive thousands of pounds that they feel is owed to them were rejected earlier this week by the Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall.

WASPI is an organisation founded in 2015 that campaigns for women not properly informed about their state pension age being raised from 60 to 65 to equalise it with men.

On the backlash to Labour’s rejection of demands for compensation, the Chancellor of the Exchequer told ITV yesterday: “I understand that women affected by the changes to the state pension age feel disappointed by this decision.

“But we looked in full at the Ombudsman recommendations, and they said that around 90 percent of women did know that these changes were coming, and, as Chancellor, I have to account for every penny of taxpayers’ money spent.

“And, given that the vast majority of people did know about these changes, I didn’t judge that it would be the best use of taxpayers’ money to pay an expensive compensation bill for something that most people knew was happening.”

The WASPI group responded to Ms Reeves.

It said on X: “Raising #WASPI women’s pension age has already saved the government £181billion.

“Recompense would cost £10billion, a tiny fraction of that sum. Our polling shows that most UK adults (i.e. taxpayers) support compensation.”

Express.co.uk has reported that Labour MPs have accused ministers within their own party of betraying the WASPI women after previously backing them in campaigns.