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An academic who is arguing that the government’s chosen mechanism to increase the state pension age for women could have breached the UK’s international legal obligations, has launched a petition to Parliament.
Jackie Jones, law professor at the University of the West of England, has previously said there could be legal grounds for the state pension age hike for women to be removed and for full restitution. A High Court Oral Hearing re a Judicial Review claim has been granted. (Date undisclosed. See link within article).
In her petition, launched on Wednesday and signed by nearly 7,500 people so far, she is calling on the government to transpose the provisions of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to UK law.
Here is a link to the full article:
If this petition and the hearing are successful, clearly it will move the Waspi women’s fight on to new ground.
Please sign and share:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/230451
The Labour Party manifesto 2017 highlighted pension issues affecting women as follows:
- Scrap future rises in the state pension age: Labour will put on hold plans to increase the state pension age above 66. It will hold its own review on further rises in the state pension age, aimed at developing a flexible retirement policy that takes into account the big differences in life expectancy, among other factors.
- Waspi women: Pension credit will be extended to 1950s women who’ve lost out because they didn’t realise their state pension age was rising. Pension credit guarantee rate is paid at £159.30 (in tax year 2017 – 18). It is a means-tested payment which is set at just below the state pension level. You can find out how pension credit works and who qualifies for it in my article. Labour also says it’s exploring options for further transitional protections.
- Ring-fence existing state pension: Labour says it will legislate so that the state pension cannot be changed in the future like it has been for Waspi It will introduce laws to protect any state pension you’ve already built up. If there are changes to the state pension in the future, this will only affect the state pension you build up after the change.