The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) group told The i Paper it was “not scared” of taking the Government to court over the decision.
The Waspi group had been pushing for at least £10,000 each for the 1950s-born women who expected to get their state pension at 60 but had to wait another five or six years.
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Waspi chair Angela Madden described the decision as “appalling”, and said the group had been in touch with their legal advisers at Bindmans LLP.
A judicial review allows a High Court judge to consider the lawfulness of a decision made by the Government.
“If the people who support the campaign want us to continue, they will fund legal action. If they don’t, we won’t be able to,” said the 70-year-old campaign chair. “We have some money in the bank. But it’s rarely enough to mount a legal action.”
The PHSO had not initially accepted that Waspi women had suffered financial losses but changed its mind after campaigners launched a judicial review, before going on to recommend compensation payments of between £1,000 and £2,950.
The Waspi group also urged MPs to force a vote on the issue in the Commons, hoping a majority view in favour of compensation would put pressure on the Government to perform a U-turn.
Pension expert Tom Selby, director of public policy at AJ Bell, poured cold water over the Waspi group’s chances of overturning the decision in court.
“My view is that is unlikely to succeed,” he said. “The ombudsman can make recommendations, but it doesn’t have the legal power to enforce those recommendations. It would be really surprising to me if any court would rule that that body did [have legal power].”
Steve Webb, the former Lib Dem pension minister, also thought legal action would be unlikely to succeed, saying it was now “very unlikely there will be compensation”.
Sir Steve, now a partner at pensions firm LCP, downplayed the chance that a majority of MPs could get the Government to change its mind or force the set-up of a compensation scheme.
Waspi women offered only a lukewarm response to the idea of legal action against the Government.
Rosie Dickson, a 67-year-old campaigner from Glasgow, added: “I’m open to the legal option. But there is the famous line – nobody wins except the lawyers.
The Government has been approached for comment.
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