Northamptonshire Waspi woman hopes for compensation

A representative of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi), the group has expressed its hope autumn budget today it includes compensation for women affected by changes in the state pension age.

Mary Jones, from Northamptonshire Waspi, said thousands of women in the county had been affected by government decisions to increase the retirement age from 60 to 65 in 1995 and later to 66 in 2012.

The change leaves many women without the retirement income they originally expected.

Ms Jones said she “sincerely hopes” Chancellor Rachel Reeves has set aside “long-awaited compensation” for those affected.

Around 40 women from Northamptonshire are heading to Westminster this morning to take part in a Waspi protest ahead of the Budget to be presented by Chancellor Rachel Reeves this afternoon.

Government sources have indicated that the budget may include tax increases and cuts totaling £40 billion.

Mrs Jones added: “I have lost most of my private pensions as I have had to rely on them since I was 60.

“With the cost of everything rising, budgeting has been extremely difficult.”

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson previously said they would “listen respectfully” to the concerns of the women involved and “take on board any lessons learned”.

The Budget speech starts at 12:30 GMT and will be broadcast live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC News website.