Stephen Morgan, Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, is hosting an event alongside Solent WASPI to raise awareness of the women against state pension inequality campaign.
The group campaigns for fair and fast compensation for 1950s-born women affected by the failure of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to communicate the increase in the State Pension age from 60 to 66.
There are an estimated 9,000 WASPI women across Portsmouth, with over 3.6 million affected women across the country.
At the event in his Portsmouth South constituency office at 72 Albert Road, Southsea PO5 2SL, Stephen Morgan is calling on constituents to back his demand for the Government to meet with campaigners and to set out how pensioners will be assisted through the cost of living crisis.
Research has found that nearly one in three WASPI women across the country have struggled to pay energy bills this winter, with 27 percent falling into debt.
Last year the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman found maladministration on the part of the Department of Work and Pension in its failure to communicate changes to State Pension age to affected women. Many had as little as twelve months’ notice of a six-year delay to their retirement, forcing them to change retirement plans at very short notice.
The event in Portsmouth follows an open letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, co-signed by Solent WASPI representatives, as he took up office last autumn which received over 40,000 signatures.
Commenting on the latest action by the Portsmouth MP, Stephen Morgan, said:
“I am delighted to be hosting Solent WASPI and my affected constituents to discuss their campaign and how the cost of living crisis is impacting them.
“WASPI women are continuing to suffer financial hardship because of the DWP’s failure to give proper notice about changes in their State Pension age.
“With one in three WASPI women struggling to pay their energy bills, I am determined to continue lobbying the Government to ensure all affected women’s voices are heard and are treated fairly.”
Shelagh Simmons, Coordinator of Solent WASPI, added:
“We are grateful for Stephen Morgan MP’s support as we continue the fight to end the injustices faced by thousands of women across Portsmouth.
“As we enter 2023, one WASPI woman will die every 13 minutes waiting for compensation from the Government. How many more women will have to die before the Government sits up and listens to us?”
“We now urge Rishi Sunak to meet with us to put an end to the severe financial pressures facing pensioners who have lost out through no fault of their own.”
Angela Madden, Chair of the National WASPI Campaign, added:
“We would like to thank Stephen Morgan for his ongoing support of the campaign.
“MPs in Portsmouth and across the country recognise the injustices faced by millions of women born in the 1950s as a result of DWP maladministration, yet the Prime Minister continues to turn a blind eye.
“We are determined to seek fair and fast compensation for the 9,000 women in Portsmouth, and millions more across the country who have been denied justice, many of whom continue to face serious financial hardship this winter.”
The event takes place on Saturday 28 January 2023, 10.30am until 12noon at 72 Albert Road, Southsea PO5 2SL. The coffee morning is free to anyone to attend and no booking is required.
