Minister denies betraying Waspi women over pension payout

A minister has denied betraying so-called Waspi women affected by the way changes to the state pension age were communicated.Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said a targeted compensation programme would “not be practical”, with a wider flat-rate scheme costing up to £10.3 billion.His decision has sparked fury among campaigners including the group Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi).Its chairwoman Angela Madden accused the Government of treating 1950s-born women with “utter contempt”, branding the decision a “disgraceful political choice”.Mr McFadden visited Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire on Friday, where he was asked if he had betrayed the women.He told the Press Association: “As I said in the House of Commons yesterday, I thought it was right to re-examine and retake the decision with regard to a compensation scheme, so I looked at all the evidence, all the surveys, and I retook the decision and set out the reasons for that.”