Blame Game Well Underway

SNP Offer to help pensions minister resolve women’s pension inequalities.

The Scottish National Party has today offered to help Pensions Minister Ros Altmann end women’s pension inequality after she said her previous attempts had been stopped by former Work and Pensions Minister Iain Duncan Smith.

In a statement, Ros Altmann said “It has been a hugely challenging time for me as he (IDS) was preventing me from speaking to the public and has often been obstructive to my efforts to resolve important pension policy issues such as on women’s pensions.”

But just last month, Ros Altmann said she had never supported the aims of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign and has shown little sympathy for women born in the 1950s who have been affected by claiming that they were told of the changes to the state pension age.

Ian Blackford MP, SNP spokesperson for Pensions, has written to Ros Altmann to request a meeting to discuss how the SNP can help Ros Altmann meet her aim of resolving the important issue.

Ian Blackford MP said:

“If Ros Altmann was really committed to resolving the appalling way that women born in the 1950s have been treated at the hands of the UK government she would have done a lot more than try to use Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation for her own political gain – but we must put political differences aside in order to reach a resolution.

“The Pensions Minister has refused to support the WASPI campaign and has sought to discredit the tireless work these women have done to highlight the very real plight they face - thousands of women were not informed of increases to the state pension age and have had their retirement plans completely shattered.

“The SNP agrees with pension equalisation, but we do not support the deeply unfair manner in which these changes have been made and as the UK government considers its response to the Work and Pension committee’s recent report which calls for action, it is clear that transitional measures for these women must be introduced.

“The SNP are more than happy to meet with Ros Altmann in order to develop a strategy with her to end women’s pension inequality and I look forward to working with her on this important issue.”