Sir Keir Starmer has come under fire from veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott, who accused him of failing to understand the plight of Waspi women because of his “big fat pension.”
Appearing on BBC Newsnight, the former Shadow Home Secretary suggested the Labour leader’s financial cushion, earned during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), leaves him disconnected from the struggles of the 3.8 million women born in the 1950s who were blindsided by changes to the state pension age.
Labour’s U-turn sparks fury
This week, Labour walked back its earlier promises to support Waspi women, refusing to commit to compensation payments. The reversal was met with outrage from Labour MPs, who called it a “sad moment” and an “incredible letdown.”
“Remember, he’s on his big fat DPP pension,” Ms Abbott quipped. “What does he know about ageing women who really will depend on the state pension? He doesn’t know.”
The golden nest egg
Starmer’s pension pot is certainly unique. During his tenure as DPP, he benefited from a bespoke, tax-unregistered scheme that sidestepped the usual lifetime cap on pension savings. Experts estimate this arrangement could provide him with a pension worth nearly £700,000 upon retirement.
That’s quite the cushion for a man now backing plans to reinstate the cap on pension savings for other high earners.
Waspi campaign’s fight for fairness
The Waspi campaign has long argued that millions of women born in the 1950s were left in the dark about changes to their state pension age, causing financial chaos and dashed retirement dreams. While Labour once championed their cause, promising “fair and fast compensation” in 2022, the latest policy shift has left campaigners and MPs fuming.
Liz Kendall, Labour’s current Work and Pensions Secretary, once vowed to find a “fair solution” for the group. But the government has consistently rejected the idea of compensation, citing the hefty £10 billion price tag.
Abbott questions Starmer’s political instincts
Ms Abbott didn’t stop at pensions. She suggested Sir Keir’s relatively short tenure in politics and his “parachuted” entry into a safe Labour seat left him out of touch with grassroots movements like Waspi.
“One of the things about Keir is he’s only been in the party a relatively short period of time,” she noted. “He has no feel for politics. Now, he might say, ‘I’ve got a great feel for politics because I smashed people like you,’ but he doesn’t understand how [Waspi women] feel.”
Backlash brewing among MPs
The Labour leader’s decision has not only upset campaigners but also left many MPs facing difficult conversations in their constituencies.
“A lot of MPs are very unhappy,” Ms Abbott warned. “Particularly those who had their photo taken with Waspi women. They’re going to hear what people think when they go back to their constituencies.”
It’s clear that the row over pensions isn’t going away any time soon—and for Labour, the fallout may hit closer to home than Sir Keir anticipated.
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