Liz Kendall says Waspi women gained’t get compensation no matter ombudsman saying they should – UK politics dwell | Politics

Keir Starmer has talked about he accepts that Waspi women will in all probability be unhappy with the federal authorities’s option to not pay them compensation.

In an interview with broadcasters in Estonia, requested if he understood the anger of those affected, Starmer replied:

I do understand their issues. The ombudsman’s findings had been clear in relation to maladministration, however moreover clear regarding the lack of direct financial injustice, as a result of the ombudsman seen it. That’s why we’ve taken the selection that we’ve taken.

But I do understand, the truth is, the precedence of the Waspi women.

But moreover I’ve to keep in mind whether or not or not it’s correct in the interim to impose an additional burden on the taxpayer, which is what it could possibly be.

The remaining Conservative authorities didn’t give any indication that it was extra more likely to accept the ombudsman’s solutions if it gained the election and, in her response to Liz Kendall, Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, didn’t argue that the federal authorities should have taken one other selection.

But she did say this was now Labour’s selection, they normally wanted to “own it”. In the Commons she instructed MPs:

No doubt campaigners will observe the federal authorities’s apology for the picks made between 2005 and 2007 which led to a 28-month delay in sending out letters which the ombudsman acknowledged as maladministration nonetheless let’s be clear, the selection to produce no compensation is the federal authorities’s selection and they need to private it.

I’m not going to permit them to get away with saying that that is because of a fictional black hole inside the public funds. The nation’s financial place now’s a outcomes of their political selections.

They shouldn’t try and dodge obligation by suggesting to waspi women that if situations had been completely totally different, they might have come to a novel conclusion.

Waspi, the Women Against State Pension Inequality advertising marketing campaign, has condemned the federal authorities’s selection as “totally unjustified”. This is from its chair, Angela Madden.

The authorities has in the intervening time made an unprecedented political choice to ignore the clear solutions of an neutral watchdog which ordered ministers urgently to compensate Waspi women 9 months previously.

This is a bizarre and utterly unjustified switch which may go away everyone asking what the aim of an ombudsman is that if ministers can merely ignore their picks. It seems like a name that will make the likes of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump blush.

The idea that an ‘action plan’ to steer clear of such errors in future should be the outcomes of a six-year ombudsman’s investigation is an insult every to the women and to the PHSO [Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman] course of.

An overwhelming majority of MPs once more Waspi’s requires truthful compensation and all decisions keep on the desk. Parliament ought to now search one other mechanism to energy this issue on to the order paper so justice could possibly be carried out.

Here are additional quotes from Liz Kendall’s statement to MPs saying the federal authorities gained’t accept the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s recommendation on compensation for Waspi women.

• Kendall talked about the ombudsman’s report didn’t criticise the selection in 1995 to increase the state pension age for ladies, or the coalition’s selection in 2011 to hurry up that improve. The report coated in its place complaints regarding the Department for Work and Pensions not appropriately warning women regarding the improve, she talked about. Decisions made between 2005 and 2007 led to a 28-month delay in warning letters being despatched to women born inside the Fifties. The report talked about that didn’t final result inside the women struggling direct financial misplaced. But, Kendall instructed MPs, it was maladministration consistent with the report.

[The report] references evaluation from 2004 exhibiting 43% of girls aged over 60 had been acutely aware of their state pension age. But it doesn’t sufficiently sufficiently recognise proof from the an identical evaluation that 73% of girls aged 45 to 54 had been acutely aware that the state pension age was rising – the very group that covers women born inside the Fifties. Or evaluation from 2006 that 90% of girls aged 45 to 54 had been acutely aware that the state pension age was rising.

Research given to the ombudsman displays solely spherical 1 / 4 of people that discover themselves despatched unsolicited letters actually keep in mind receiving them or finding out them. So we cannot accept that inside the good majority of circumstances sending a letter earlier would have affected whether or not or not women knew their state pension age was rising or would have elevated their options to make educated picks.

These two particulars – that almost all women knew the state pension age was rising and that letters aren’t as important as a result of the Ombudsman says – along with totally different causes have educated our conclusion that there should be no scheme of financial compensation to Fifties-born women in response to the ombudsman’s report.

• And she talked about paying a flat cost of compensation, as useful by the ombudsman, wouldn’t be may be “a fair or proportionate use of taxpayers money”.

First, we have to work with the ombudsman to develop an in depth movement plan out of the report, so every and all lessons are learnt.

Second, we’re devoted to setting clear and satisfactory uncover of any modifications inside the state pension age so of us can appropriately plan for his or her retirement.

And third, I’ve tasked officers to develop a method for environment friendly, nicely timed and stylish communication on the state pension that makes use of the freshest methods.

In March the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman revealed a report saying that the so-called Waspi women (Women Against State Pension Inequality) deserved compensation on account of they didn’t get sufficient warning from the federal authorities in regards to the reality that their state pension age was going up. It talked about of us affected should be paid compensation, and that this may worth as a lot as £10.5bn.

At the time the Conservatives, who had been then in authorities, and Labour, who had been anticipating to change them inside months, refused to resolve to accepting the recommendation. But the then authorities talked about it might take time to consider the report appropriately, and Labour moreover delay a definitive response.

In a press launch to the Commons, Liz Kendall has now delivered the federal authorities’s formal response. And she has dominated out paying compensation.

She instructed MPs:

Given the overwhelming majority of girls knew the state pension age was rising, the federal authorities doesn’t think about paying a flat cost to all women at a value of as a lot as £10.5bn is usually a good or proportionate use of taxpayers money, not least when the sooner authorities didn’t put apart a single penny for any compensation scheme, and after they left us a £22bn inside the public funds.

This has been an particularly powerful option to take, nonetheless we think about it’s the correct plan of motion, and we’re determined to review all of the teachings to verify one among these maladministration certainly not happens as soon as extra.

David Gauke, the Conservative former justice secretary, has written an interesting assessment of Kemi Badenoch’s start as Tory chief for the New Statesman. He has certainly not been an fanatic for her mannequin of rightwing politics, nonetheless he’s an astute commentator and so his insights are value passing on. He thinks she has had “an underwhelming but not disastrous start”. In particular, he claims she is simply not establishing an excellent relationship with colleagues.

Talking to Conservative MPs, the issues about her coping with of colleagues haven’t abated. She is described as “distant” and “not engaging”. “She turns up to vote at the last moment, rushes through with one of her friends and doesn’t speak to anyone else,” says one MP. Another says, “She can’t even bring herself to make eye contact with and say, ‘Hello’ to people she dislikes.” Her crew of shut advisers are thought-about as not providing satisfactory drawback to her.

These are points – perhaps pushed by shyness better than the remainder – which may be overcome. There isn’t any sign {{that a}} coup is imminent, nonetheless she should be cautious. One take a look on the range of subjects previous his transient on which Robert Jenrick posts on X signifies that the runner-up inside the remaining Tory administration race has not abandoned his ambitions.

Gauke is now principal a overview of sentencing protection for the Labour authorities.

The Liberal Democrats have claimed that the extra funding for police launched by the Home Office in the intervening time (see ) is simply not as generous as a result of it appears. (See 11.04am.) They make clear:

Of the £986.8m of further funding for police launched in the intervening time inside the provisional police grant report (England and Wales) 2025-26, spherical 1 / 4 or £230.3m is solely to cowl the federal authorities’s nationwide insurance coverage protection tax rise. Another £329.8m depends on additional council tax, and assumes that every one police and crime commissioners will improve their precept by the utmost permitted of £14 for band D.

This means the extra authorities cash to forces is solely £426.8m – half the amount the Home Office is claiming.

Lisa Smart, the Lib Dem residence affairs spokesperson, talked about:

Years of failure and ineffective resourcing from the sooner Conservative authorities decimated neighbourhood policing – taking officers off our streets and leaving our communities far a lot much less protected.

The authorities should be stepping as a lot as restore this by appropriately funding the officers our communities need – not passing the buck to native police chiefs to put up of us’s council tax in its place.

Jonathan Reynolds, the enterprise secretary, has launched that the scope of the compensation programme for victims of the Post Office scandal will in all probability be extended to cowl earlier potential victims.

The authorities already has four schemes in place offering compensation to place up officer operators who suffered on account of faulty Horizon IT software program program led to them being wrongly blamed for missing money. More than 900 of us had been prosecuted, better than 100 had been jailed, nonetheless many additional misplaced out on account of that they had been compelled to repay money that they had been accused of shedding or stealing, and/or on account of they misplaced their jobs.

The Horizon system was launched in 1999. But there have been suspicions that comparable flaws existed with the Capture IT accounting system utilized by the Post Office inside the Nineties sooner than Horizon was rolled out. In September the federal authorities revealed a report by the consultants Kroll saying there was “a reasonable likelihood that Capture could have created shortfalls for subpostmasters”.

Today the Department for Business and Trade has revealed its reponse. It says it’s extending its compensation provide to keep in mind the Kroll conclusions. Several put up office operators raised points with Capture on the time, it says, nevertheless it absolutely doesn’t put a decide on what number of people could also be eligible for compensation and it says a number of of those affected might have died.

A serious time frame has moreover handed, and we recognise that which signifies that timescales are much better, and the inhabitants of postmasters that used Capture will in all probability be additional superior in age, or a greater proportion of the inhabitants may need sadly died. We moreover recognise that the passage of time signifies that proof of shortfalls and consequential losses, and proof relating to suspensions, termination, prosecution, or convictions, will in all probability be far tougher to hunt out. It will subsequently be powerful for claimants to corroborate their claims with updated proof. Postmasters, the Post Office, or the UK authorities won’t have adequate proof, and we’d certainly not uncover adequate proof to search out out obligation to the extent which may be anticipated by the courts.

In a news release, Reynolds says:

It is because of testimony of postmasters that this has been dropped at mild and failings have been discovered.

We ought to now work shortly to produce redress and justice to those who have suffered considerably after being wrongly accused.

I’d want to encourage anyone who believes they’ve been affected by Capture to share their story with us so we’re capable of put wrongs to correct as quickly as and for all.

Gareth Thomas, the Post Office minister, says that particulars of how compensation will in all probability be paid to people who suffered due to flaws with Capture will in all probability be labored over over the approaching months. He explains:

We are considering the most effective sort of redress for victims who’ve suffered.

This is a troublesome practice given the passage of time and the quite a few lack of awareness and proof.

Our proposals will in all probability be developed by way of partaking with postmasters and approved representatives.

Over the approaching months, we have to resolve the scope of the financial redress and the eligibility requirements so that we’re capable of ship closure to the impacted postmasters.

The first few victims of the contaminated blood scandal have acquired their final compensation pay outs, PA Media critiques. And eligibility requirements allowing siblings to get compensation have been extended. PA says:

Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds talked about that these whose brothers or sisters had been contaminated with in all probability deadly viruses whereas receiving care should be fairly compensated.

He moreover launched in a written ministerial statement that the federal authorities “accepts in full or accepts in principle” all of the 12 solutions made as part of the Infected Blood Inquiry.

More than 30,000 of us received contaminated blood, or contaminated blood merchandise, between the Nineteen Seventies and early Nineties whereas current course of NHS care.

Some 3,000 of us died consequently and survivors reside with lifelong nicely being implications.

Last week, the federal authorities launched that 10 of us have been offered compensation totalling better than £13m.

Keir Starmer has launched £35m in emergency assist for Ukraine to help it restore its vitality grid.

In an announcement launched as Starmer was attending the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) chief’s summit in Estonia, Downing Street moreover unveiled up to date sanctions in opposition to the “shadow fleet” of oil tankers utilized by Russia to advertise its oil. No 10 talked about:

The UK has provided £35m of emergency assist to help Ukraine restore its vitality grid and assist in all probability probably the most weak by way of a third winter of battle, the prime minister has launched in the intervening time.

It comes as a result of the UK moreover reinforces its iron-clad assist for Ukraine by launching up to date sanctions specializing in Russia’s vitality sector. Today’s sanctions purpose 20 shadow fleet ships carrying illicit Russian oil, along with Ocean Faye, Andaman Skies and Mianzimu, which have each carried better than 4 million barrels of Russian oil in 2024.

Key lynchpins in enabling the shopping for and promoting of Putin’s treasured oil, 2Rivers DMCC and 2Rivers PTE LTD have moreover been slapped with sanctions. These new measures will further drain Putin’s battle chest, by clamping down on the oil revenues he so desperately should gasoline his illegal battle and put those who enable Russia’s oil exports on uncover.

And Starmer talked about:

As Putin’s oil revenues proceed to gasoline the fires of his illegal battle, Ukrainian households are enduring chilly, darkish nights, normally with out heating, mild or electrical power, targeted by Russia’s relentless missile assaults.

But these systematic assaults on Ukraine’s infrastructure received’t grind Ukraine down. It will solely deepen our resolve and assist.

Margaret Hodge, the earlier Labour minister and former chair of the Commons public accounts committee, stood down as an MP on the election. But it seems to be like as if she has certainly not been busier. Now inside the House of Lords, remaining week she was appointed as the government’s anti-corruption champion. And in the intervening time Lisa Nandy, the custom secretary, has launched that Hodge will lead an neutral overview into Arts Council England. In a Commons written statement, Nandy says:

This authorities will likely be sure that the humanities and custom won’t be the shield of a privileged few. We might even place arts and custom on the coronary coronary heart of our plan for change to ship progress and break down the constraints to various all through the nation. This overview will likely be sure that Arts Council England is best positioned to help ship this and effectively steward our cultural and ingenious sectors in every part of England, serving to to rebuild Britain​ in a decade of nationwide renewal.

Police forces in England and Wales will acquire an precise phrases funding improve of three.5% in 2025-26, the Home Office has launched. PA Media critiques:

In a written statement, Diana Johnson, the policing minister, talked about the 2025-26 settlement will amount to £17.4bn, an increase of as a lot as £986.9m on the current yr.

The additional funding will cowl the costs of the pay rises given to officers, the rise in employers’ nationwide insurance coverage protection contributions (NICs) and as well as pay for recruitment to help meet the federal authorities’s neighbourhood policing ensures.

The complete amount going into policing, along with the money to forces along with “wider system funding” will in all probability be £19.5bn, a £1bn improve, representing an whole 3% precise phrases rise.

And Johnson talked about:

Of the £986.9m of additional funding for police forces, I can confirm that £657.1m of this can be a rise to authorities grants, which includes a rise inside the core grants of £339m to verify police forces are completely outfitted to ship our safer streets mission.

This moreover consists of £230.3m to compensate territorial forces for the costs of the change to the employer nationwide insurance coverage protection contributions from 2025-26, and an additional £100m to kickstart the first part of 13,000 additional regulation enforcement officers, PCSOs and explicit constables into neighbourhood policing roles. This will current policing with the funding required to kind out crime and preserve communities protected.

The Chinese embassy inside the UK has instructed British MPs to “immediately stop creating trouble” and “stop anti-China political manipulations”.

In a statement released this morning on its website, in response to Yang Tengbo being named yesterday as a result of the alleged Chinese “spy” who befriended Prince Andrew, an embassy spokesperson that “anti-China clamours made by a handful of UK MPs” had “revealed their twisted mentality towards China”. The spokesperson accused them of trying to “smear China” and “undermine normal personnel exchanges between China and the UK”.

Here is the assertion.

As for the anti-China clamours made by a handful of UK MPs, they’ve carried out nothing nonetheless completely revealed their twisted mentality in path of China, along with their self-importance and shamelessness. This is a typical case of a thief crying “catch thief”. What they’re truly as a lot as is to smear China, purpose in opposition to the Chinese group inside the UK and undermine common personnel exchanges between China and the UK. We strongly condemn this.

I’ve to stage out that the CPC [Chinese Communist Party] and the Chinese authorities uphold that worldwide places should pursue friendship and cooperation on the thought of mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in each other’s inside affairs, equality and mutual revenue. This is what now we now have been saying and what now we now have been doing. This may also be why China has so many buddies world extensive …

We urge the UK aspect to immediately stop creating trouble, stop anti-China political manipulations, and stop undermining common personnel exchanges between China and the UK.

In the Commons yesterday Iain Duncan Smith, the earlier Conservative chief, was notably essential of the United Front Work Department, a Chinese intelligence gathering unit. Duncan Smith talked about: “The intelligence and security committee report last year said [the UFWD] had penetrated ‘every sector’ of the UK economy, including by spying, stealing intellectual property, influencing, and shaping our institutions.”

But in in the intervening time’s assertion the embassy spokesperson defended the UFWD. The spokesperson talked about.

I moreover have to reiterate that theUnited Front led by the CPC endeavours to ship collectively assorted political occasions and people from all walks of life, ethnic groups and organisations to promote cooperation between the CPC and individuals who discover themselves not members of it and promote people-to-people exchanges and friendship with totally different worldwide places. This is above-board and previous reproach. Though some UK politicians tried to demonise China’s United Front work, they’re doomed to fail.

We on a regular basis think about {{that a}} sound and regular China-UK relationship is simply not a one-sided favour nonetheless what meets the frequent pursuits of every facet. The UK aspect might want to have a correct notion of China, see the historic sample clearly, and cope with its relations with China on the thought of mutual respect, non-interference in each other’s inside affairs, equality and mutual revenue.

Humza Yousaf, the earlier Scottish first minister, has launched that he’ll stand down as an MSP on the following Holyrood election, in 2026.

In a letter to current first minister John Swinney, Yousaf talked about he’ll in all probability be campaigning arduous for the SNP on the following election nonetheless received’t run himself. He talked about:

Come 2026, I’ll have served 15 years as an MSP, 12 of those years as a minister inside the Scottish authorities.

The subsequent Scottish parliament elections in 2026 could be the correct time for me to maneuver on, to produce an opportunity for the following expertise of MSPs to step forward, and to find the place I can best make a contribution ultimately in serving to to kind out a lot of probably the most pressing challenges our world faces.

Yousaf talked about that he hoped his time as first minister had been an inspiration to others.

It is normally talked about that you simply simply can’t be what you’ll be able to’t see. I hope by by turning into the first first minister of colour, and first Muslim chief of a Western democratic nation, I’ve despatched a clear message to every youthful particular person, of any background, who aspires to turn into concerned in public service, that you simply simply do belong and are merely as deserving of other as all individuals else.

And he talked about that, although he had made errors, he felt he had on a regular basis dealt with of us with respect.

When one chapter begins to close, you normally spend time reflecting in your achievements, errors and even regrets – I’ve all three. However, I hope that each one by way of all of it, I was ready to cope with of us with kindness, courtesy and respect.

He has posted the overall letter on social media.

In a response, Swinney talked about:

I’m sorry to see @HumzaYousaf stepping down @ScotParl. He has been a pioneer in Scottish politics. I value all he has contributed to @scotgov and @theSNP and stay up for his continued involvement. I would like Humza, Nadia and their family quite a bit peace collectively

The Post Office Horizon IT inquiry is listening to closing submissions from counsel in the intervening time. Lawyers representing (in order) the Post Office, Paula Vennells, Fujitsu, Gareth Jenkins, and the Department for Business and Trade are all speaking, they normally have been allotted an hour each.

The listening to started at 9.30am. There is a dwell feed proper right here.

Good morning. The children’s wellbeing and schools bill is being revealed in the intervening time and, as Sally Weale critiques, it will set out plans to tighten checks on kids being educated at residence in England.

Publication coincides with the sentencing of the killers of 10-year-old Sara Sharif – her father and step-mother – following a trial that uncovered particulars of one of many stunning circumstances of child cruelty heard by a British courtroom docket in years. Sara was taken out of college, and educated at residence inside the months sooner than her lack of life, regardless that lecturers had started to notice proof that she was being assaulted at residence, and so the legal guidelines – although deliberate correctly sooner than the trial – does cope with one amongst safeguarding loopholes the Sharif case has highlighted.

Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has been giving interviews this morning. She instructed the Today programme:

Too many kids have been failed by the state recently, it’s clear that movement is required. So no additional lessons found, no additional phrases. Today we set out our plans to make certain that these firms are working collectively and that now we now have quite a bit higher visibility of the place kids are and what they’re experiencing of their lives.

But in interviews Phillipson has moreover talked about the federal authorities doesn’t plan to legislate to ban smacking kids in England – regardless that it’s banned in Scotland and Wales, and regardless that the federal authorities indicated inside the autumn a rethink was on the taking part in playing cards.

In 2022, as opposition chief, Keir Starmer talked about he want to see the ban extended to England. In October, after the Sara Sharif muder trial opened, Dame Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner, said that “a ban on smacking is a necessary step to keep children safe and to stop lower level violence from escalating” and on the time the Department for Education said: “We are looking closely at the legal changes made in Wales and Scotland as we consider whether there is any more we could do in this area.” Last week, after the verdicts had been delivered inside the Sharif trial, de Souza said:

What haunts me in all probability probably the most about Sara’s lack of life is that her father used the phrases ‘I legally punished my child’, believing this to be a defence to murder. It is unthinkable that any father or mom or carer might disguise behind our approved system to justify such cruelty – and however, kids residing in England in the intervening time have a lot much less security from assault than adults.

Yet in the intervening time Phillipson has talked about that the federal authorities nonetheless has “no plans” to behave on this. She instructed LBC:

We’re not wanting to legislate spherical this. I do want to take a look on the experience in Wales and Scotland the place they’ve legislated to know what the impression has been.

And, requested why the federal authorities is simply not implementing a ban in England, she instructed Times Radio:

Because what I have to understand is the have an effect on and the impression of the legal guidelines in Wales. They will in all probability be setting out the first spherical of a overview into the implications and impression of the legal guidelines that that that they had launched. I want to see that, want to understand it, and to resolve then whether or not or not it’s important to take further measures proper right here in England.

Here is the agenda for the day.

Morning: Keir Starmer has been having a breakfast meeting with enterprise leaders in Estonia. Later he’s attending the Joint Expeditionary Force summit, after which visiting British forces near the border with Russia.

9.30am: The Post Office Horizon scandal inquiry hears closing statements from counsel representing the Post Office, Paula Vennells, Fujitsu, Gareth Jenkins, and the Department for Business and Trade.

10.30am: Charles Clarke, the earlier Labour residence secretary, and Michael Gove, the earlier Conservative justice secretary, give proof on prisons to the Lords justice and residential affairs committee.

11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

11.30am: Ed Miliband, the vitality secretary, takes questions inside the Commons.

Early afternoon (perhaps): The Home Office publishes a written ministerial assertion with particulars of funding for police forces in England and Wales in 2025-26.

2.30pm: Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, supplies proof to the Commons residence affairs committee (which for a number of years she used to chair).

2.30pm: Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, supplies proof to the Commons justice committee.

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