REBECCA Jenkins, Labour’s candidate for Redditch has welcomed the announcement of Labour’s offer of pay-outs of up to £31,000 to compensate women hit by the state pension age increase.
The announcement came earlier this week, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell saying the payouts are a ‘historic debt of honour’ to more than 5,000 women who live in Redditch and millions across the UK.
The scheme will be delivered within Labour’s first full five year term of government if they gain power.
Payments will go to women born in the 1950s who had their state pension age hiked.
David Cameron’s coalition government presided over a change in the law that increased the women’s state pension age to 65 in November 2018 – followed by 66 in October 2020.
Labour would introduce a compensation scheme for the 3.7million women hit by the changes.
It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s U-turn on the BBC Leaders Question Time last Friday when he said he couldn’t ‘magic up the money’.
“This is about those who have paid into the system all their lives, only to be hung out to dry by a Tory Government that put the interests of the richest first,” said Ms Jenkins.
“It is possible with Labour, because Labour is not on the side of the billionaires and the bankers, we are on the side of the people.”
Also standing in the election in Redditch are Rachel Maclean (Conservative) Dr Bruce Horton (Lib Dem) and Claire Davies (Greens).
