Jess Brown-Fuller MP backs cross-party call for WASPI compensation

Jess Brown-Fuller, MP for Chichester, has added her name to a major cross-party letter calling on the government to finally deliver compensation to women affected by changes to the state pension age. 

The letter, led by Steve Darling MP and signed by more than 100 MPs from across the House, urges the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to set out clear plans to ensure that women born in the 1950s are treated fairly and properly compensated. MPs have asked for an update to Parliament by March 2026 at the latest. 

Jess’ support for the cross-party initiative follows her own recent intervention on the issue. Earlier this year, she wrote directly to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden MP, calling on the government to act on the findings of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). 

In March 2024, the Ombudsman concluded that the Department for Work and Pensions had failed to properly communicate changes to the state pension age, despite internal evidence showing that many women were unaware of the reforms. The report found that an estimated 3.8 million women born in the 1950s suffered financial hardship and disruption to their retirement plans as a result of this maladministration. 

Jess has welcomed the government’s decision to review its previous refusal to award compensation but has consistently stressed that the process must lead to meaningful action and a sense of closure for those affected. 

By backing the cross-party letter, she is reinforcing her call for the government to move beyond reviews and deliver a fair compensation scheme in line with the Ombudsman’s findings. 

You can read the cross-party letter to the Secretary of State in full below.