Exclusive:SNP's Stephen Flynn demands Parliament time to pass Waspi women compensation

Last month the SNP brought a ten-minute rule Bill that would require ministers to publish measures to address the findings of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) report. The report recommended the UK government pay compensation to women born in the 1950s whose state pension age was raised so it would be equal with men.

Now SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has written to the leader of the Commons, Lucy Powell, arguing it is "imperative" that government time is allocated for the Bill. He has said the Labour government must not "block" the Bill’s passage.

Mr Flynn wrote: “As you will be aware, our Waspi Bill was supported by members across the House, including those on the government benches, while earlier this year the Scottish Parliament united to demand the UK government provide compensation.

“We all know Waspi women feel badly betrayed by the Labour Party's broken promises and, in particular, the damaging decision to block compensation. From the Prime Minister down, Labour Party politicians lined up behind placards, signed pledges and posed for selfies in support of the Waspi women ahead of the election only to abandon them as soon as you got your feet in the door.

“There has been no consideration of compensation of any kind, staggered or otherwise, and for the Labour government to ignore the recommendations of a PHSO report is a very worrying departure from what has come before and serves a body blow to trust in politics.”

MPs voted 105 to zero to back the Bill after the SNP forced a vote, with support also coming from Scottish Labour MP Brian Leishman. However, it is unlikely to make progress further in the Commons. Without government support, bills rarely, if ever, make it onto the statute books.

It is estimated more than 331,000 women in Scotland were impacted by the changes and around 3.6 million across the UK.

Speaking to The Scotsman, Mr Flynn said: "Scottish Labour have literally left the Waspi out in the cold having barred them from their conference this weekend, but they must not stand in the way of our Bill to see them receive the compensation they were promised by Labour politicians right across the board.

"From the Prime Minister down, Labour Party politicians lined up behind placards, signed pledges and posed for selfies in support of the Waspi women ahead of the election only to abandon them ... it was a complete betrayal and summed up Labour's disastrous time in office.

"The Labour government must not block our Bill and it is within their gift to allocate government time to allow its progression and ensure compensation for the Waspi women. The SNP will never give up the fight and it's high time Scottish Labour politicians found their backbone and stood by their promises to Waspi women across the length and breadth of Scotland."

Last month the work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall told the Commons the government could not afford the £10.5 billion bill that would come from the payments.

A UK government spokesperson said:“We are progressing a packed legislative agenda to rebuild Britain and deliver on our Plan for Change”.