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Economics & Finance Demographics demography DWP Election 2019 labour Pensions state pension The Labour Party

Labour’s pledge to WASPI women: an unaffordable giveaway to a group that does not need it

Compensating women for the rise in the state pension age is nothing more than ill-thought-out electioneering

By Norma Cohen  
November 29, 2019

Is Johnson . Photo: Claire Doherty/SIPA USA/PA Images

Earlier this week, the Labour Party rolled out what might be described as its most stunning pre-election promise to date; that it would provide compensation to women who have seen their state pension age rise to equal that of men. Its estimated price tag is a whopping £58bn.

While Labour had previously expressed general support for a very vocal group of women who felt wronged by the rise in their state…

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Norma Cohen

Norma Cohen is the FT's former Demography Correspondent and recently completed an Arts and Humanities Research Council funded PhD on the financing of the First World War at Queen Mary University of London

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