SNP urges Sarwar to ‘stand up’ for pensioners after Starmer ‘betrayal’

The SNP has challenged Anas Sarwar to “stand up” for pensioners after accusing the UK Government of letting down older people “time and time again”.

The party said the Scottish Labour leader had been left “red in the face” over Sir Keir Starmer’s decision not to compensate the so-called Waspi women.

It was announced earlier this month that women born in the 1950s impacted by the change to the state pension age would not be given financial compensation.

The SNP criticised the move and said it came despite recommendations from the Parliamentary Ombudsman, which said the women were not given adequate notice of the changes.

The SNP accused Labour of betraying Waspi women after they decided not to compensate them for changes made to the state pension age PA Media

That came after the Labour government in Westminster decided to scrap winter fuel payments for all but the poorest pensioners.

The Scottish Government later scrapped the benefit in Scotland, saying it had lost the cash to fund it as a result of the UK decision.

But in her budget earlier this month, the Scottish Finance Secretary announced it would be partially restored, in a system that would see pensioners on higher incomes receive less.

Before that announcement, Sarwar had said a Labour government in Holyrood would reverse the SNP decision to scrap the benefit.

And last week he said that it was “wrong” for the UK Government to deny Waspi women compensation.

SNP MSP Clare Haughey accused the UK Labour Government of “the same old Westminster betrayal”.

She said: “In 2024, older people in Scotland have been let down time and time again by this UK Government and now the millions of Waspi women who have spent so many years campaigning for what they are due will rightly feel betrayed.

SNP MSP Clare Haughey said Labour had let down older people ‘time and time again’ PA Media

“In Scotland, the SNP government is cleaning up the UK Government’s mess on the winter fuel payment by bringing forward universal winter heating support in the Scottish Budget.

“Delivering support for those who need it most – that is what you can expect from a Swinney government.

“In contrast, Sir Keir Starmer has strung pensioners along only to betray them. Once again the ‘change’ that was promised looks an awful lot like the same old Westminster betrayal and is yet another serious embarrassment for the Labour leadership in Scotland.

“As we go into 2025, the choice for Anas Sarwar is will he spend the next year standing up for older people in Scotland or will he continue to stand up for the Prime Minister?

“2025 must be the year that Waspi women finally receive justice, anything less would be completely unacceptable.”

Scottish Labour’s social security spokesperson Paul O’Kane said: “I welcome that a UK Labour government has guaranteed the triple lock that will see the new state pension increase for millions of pensioners by £470 next year and around £1,900 over the course of this parliament despite the economic mess they inherited from the Tories.

“It is right that the UK Government has recognised the injustice suffered by the Waspi women.

“However, many will be disappointed that no compensation is being offered to the thousands of women impacted by the Tory decision to raise their pension age without proper notice.”

“Of course the UK Government should be focused on fixing the economic mess it inherited but in recognising this injustice we would hope to have seen a compromise position that would have allowed for some form of compensation for the Waspi women most in need from this long-running failure.

“Scottish Labour has committed to reinstating winter fuel payments for thousands of pensioners – something the SNP claims to support but has so far failed to do.”