LABOUR MP ATTEMPTS TO FUDGE NO CASH DECISION FOR WASPI WOMEN

By Bill Heaney

Powder puff Labour politician, ex Provost and now MP for West Dunbartonshire Douglas McAllister has tried to explain away his failure to support WASPI women in their campaign for being denied pension rights equality.

Labour ruled out paying the women compensation after coming to power, saying it would be too expensive, a decision which many in the party saw as political own goal, which looked poliutically naive when added to earlier similar UK government decisions to take winter fuel payments from pensioners and refuse to lift the two child cap on family benefits.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, in an attempt to have that decision overturned, brought a motion before parliament to try and force the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, right, to change her mind and pay the women the promised compensation.

In December, McAllister insisted he always envisaged a Labour government would pay the women compensation in “some form” and claimed the Commons vote to overturn the denial decision was purely ‘performative.’

But McAllister – another local Labour politician involved in attemptingto gag The Dumbarton Democrat – has now attempted to confuse matters and has been quoted as saying: “ “There wasn’t a debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday. It was, in fact, a Ten Minute Rule Motion by Stephen Flynn MP.

“This was an SNP political stunt which, rather embarrassingly for them, fell completely flat. This was never about the Waspi women, but a pathetic attempt by the SNP to somehow create a division amongst Labour MPs.

“It wouldn’t have escaped anyone’s notice that the UK Government, and therefore the Labour Party, did not oppose the SNP’s motion which is, of course, completely performative, simply nonsense for cheap newspaper headlines.

“It wouldn’t have escaped anyone’s notice that not a single MP voted against the Ten Minute Rule Motion.”

Douglas McAllister contends that he will continue to fight for compensation and he has co-signed a letter which calls for a review into the government’s decision and a debated on the issue.

He added: “Meanwhile, the grown-ups in parliament who are actually motivated to help the Waspi women and continue to fight for the injustice of state pension inequality for women, are part of an all-party parliamentary group.

“I joined this group immediately after the general election. I am active in this group, it is cross-party, and we have agreed on a strategy in relation to assisting the Waspi women.

“I remain of the opinion that the government’s most welcome apology must also now be supported with a mechanism of material redress, and I urge the government to review its approach to the PHSO’s report.

“As part of this all-party parliamentary group, we have asked to meet with the ministers to discuss a way forward towards justice for our Waspi women. This action speaks louder than hollow words from the SNP.”

The SNP leader, Stephen Flynn, pictured left, won by 105 votes in the Commons in favour of overturning the votes there and giving the WASPI women compensation, but that may never happen unless Rachel Reeves and Prime Minister Keir Starmer agree to overturn the denial decision.