Moray SNP News

ROBERTSON COMMENDS MORAY WASPI CAMPAIGNERS JOINING WESTMINSTER DEMO

SNP BACK DEMAND FOR FAIR PENSIONS FOR 1950s-BORN WOMEN

Moray’s MP Angus Robertson has commended the efforts of Moray women who took part in the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament this week to demand the UK government investigates transitional measures for 1950s-born women negatively impacted by rapid rises in the state pension age.

According to recent statistics from House of Commons Library research the issue affects 4,440 women in Moray alone, with hundreds of those women signing the petition backing the WASPI campaign.

Local MP Mr Robertson recently met with Moray campaigners and has raised the issues directly with the Prime Minister during Prime Minister's Questions.

The SNP has repeatedly called for action from the UK government with neighbouring Banffshire & Buchan Coast SNP MP Eilidh Whiteford, who is the party’s Work & Pensions Spokesperson, leading business debate on the issue in January which received cross-party support. The increase in pension age is the second for women born in the 1950s, and will have a stark financial impact on thousands of women in their 60s.

Commenting Angus Robertson MP said:

“There was a really good contingent of women from North-east Scotland, including Moray, at the demonstration in Westminster this week. The SNP has given wholehearted backing to the WASPI campaign, and we will keep up the fight for these women at Westminster.

“I have personally raised the issue in Prime Minister’s Questions and the combination of demonstrations and pressure from WASPI and work within parliament helps to maintain pressure on the Government in an effort to get this completely unfair situation sorted.

“A large number of local women born in the mid-1950s have been badly affected by the proposed changes, and have been in touch directly with me. They can rest assured that my SNP colleagues and I will continue to press the UK Government for a rethink on how it phases in increases to the state pension age.

“Changing patterns of life expectancy do demand a response from the Government. This, however, was the wrong response, and the Government needs to consider the damage its policy will do.”