Call for full and inclusive consultation amid concerns over Ombudsman process

CAMPAIGNERS representing women born in the 1950s have welcomed the statement from Pat McFadden, Minister for Work and Pensions, acknowledging the continuing injustices faced by women affected by changes to the State Pension Age.

While Mr McFadden’s comments mark an important step forward, campaigners stressed that any future consultations must engage all groups representing 1950s-born women — not only the WASPI organisation, which has publicly stated it represents around 7% of the 3.6 million women impacted.

Mr McFadden confirmed that Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) evidence will be reviewed, with all available material considered as part of his ongoing examination. Campaigners welcomed this commitment but said that transparency, inclusivity and fairness must underpin the process if justice is to be achieved.

Concerns remain, however, over the handling of the case by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). Campaigners point out that evidence from former Pensions Ministers Baroness Ros Altmann and Sir Steve Webb, submitted during Stage One of the Ombudsman’s investigation, was disregarded by both the PHSO and the WASPI campaign. Their testimony, which highlighted major communication failures by the DWP, should have been central to establishing the scale of maladministration, discrimination, and injustice suffered by affected women.

Frustration has also grown over WASPI’s decision not to pursue a judicial review, despite clear legal grounds and widespread financial and moral support from impacted women. Campaigners say this decision — justified by WASPI on the basis it might delay progress — is now widely viewed as a missed opportunity for timely justice and accountability.

Jackie, a local organiser, said: “We appreciate Mr McFadden’s acknowledgment of the ongoing injustice and his willingness to review the evidence. However, to ensure fairness and transparency, it is essential that all groups are included in the consultation process. No one voice can claim to represent the millions of women affected — only by working together can we achieve genuine pension justice.”

She added: “The refusal to act on vital ministerial evidence, combined with the decision not to seek judicial review when the grounds clearly existed, represents a serious failure of representation. 50s-born women have waited long enough. Justice delayed is justice denied.”

Campaigners are now urging unity and collaboration among all advocacy groups and individuals representing 1950s-born women. As recommended by the All-Party Parliamentary Group, they are calling for groups to come together “with one voice.” Following recent discussions with the APPG, collective support has been given to the CEDAWinLAW campaign group — backed by the 1950s Women of Wales, 50s Women United, and Pension Partners for Justice — to lead the legal and evidential effort for justice.

Campaigners are also calling for a full and independent review of the PHSO process to ensure that vital evidence is properly considered, lessons are learned, and accountability is restored.

Corporation insists defamation claim has ‘no basis’ after apology over 2021 speech edit

THE BBC has said there is “no basis” for Donald Trump’s threatened multibillion-dollar lawsuit, insisting the disputed Panorama documentary was not broadcast in the United States and caused no reputational harm.

The corporation confirmed it has had “no further contact” from the former US president’s lawyers, despite his renewed pledge to sue for “between one and five billion dollars” over the programme Trump: A Second Chance?, which aired ahead of the 2024 US election.

The controversy centres on a January 6, 2021 speech in which Mr Trump’s remarks were edited in a way that appeared to link his words more directly to the Capitol riots. The BBC apologised last week, calling the splice “an error of judgment” but denying it was malicious or defamatory.

A spokesperson said on Saturday: “We have had no further contact from President Trump’s lawyers at this point. Our position remains the same.”

In an interview with GB News, Mr Trump said he had an “obligation” to sue, claiming: “This was so egregious. If you don’t do it, you don’t stop it from happening again with other people.”

The BBC’s lawyers have set out five key arguments rejecting liability:

• the Panorama episode was not shown on US channels and was geo-restricted to UK viewers on iPlayer;
• Mr Trump suffered no damage, having gone on to win re-election;
• the edit was intended only to shorten a lengthy speech and was not motivated by malice;
• the clip should be viewed in the context of the full hour-long programme; and
• political expression is strongly protected under US defamation law.

The fallout from the broadcast led to the resignations of director-general Tim Davie and BBC News chief Deborah Turness. Chairman Samir Shah wrote personally to the White House to apologise and confirmed a review of editorial standards is under way.

Mr Davie told staff this week: “We must stand up for our journalism. The BBC is a unique and precious organisation, and I see the free press under pressure. I’m really proud of the work we do locally and globally—it’s utterly precious.”

The Panorama episode will not be re-aired, and the BBC has posted a retraction notice on its website.

Campaigners vow “most widespread civil disobedience in modern UK history”

A ROLLING hunger strike by prisoners linked to the proscribed group Palestine Action is continuing as new protests are planned in Aberystwyth and Cardiff next week under the banner of the Lift The Ban campaign.

The campaign, organised by Defend Our Juries, calls for the government to reverse its ban on Palestine Action and to “restore the right to protest and freedom of expression” ahead of a judicial review of the proscription due to take place from November 25 to 27.

Local actions will take place at 1:00pm on Tuesday (Nov 18) in towns and cities across the UK, including Edinburgh, Oxford, Newcastle, Leeds, Nottingham, Truro and Northampton.
Protests are also confirmed for Aberystwyth—with the exact location to be announced—and Cardiff, where demonstrators plan to gather outside the Senedd.

Further protests are scheduled later this month in Belfast, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Sheffield, Exeter, Lancaster and Cambridge.

Police dilemma

Organisers said police forces across the UK face a “dilemma” over how to handle the silent sit-downs.
Previous Lift The Ban actions in Scotland and the West Country have seen no arrests, while others, such as Cardiff’s July demonstration, resulted in protesters being detained under terrorism legislation.

At that Cardiff event, several participants were held under section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which carries a maximum sentence of fourteen years in prison. They were later charged only with lesser section 13 offences, which carry a six-month maximum penalty.

Voices of protest

Leigh Evans, a retired emergency nurse who has worked in Gaza and the West Bank, said she would again take part in Cardiff.

“Protest and direct action are prerequisites for democracy in the face of fascism,” she said. “Every right we have has been won through protest and direct action—from the Levellers to the suffragettes.”

Elle Miller, a railway maintenance worker from Glasgow, said she would attend demonstrations in Edinburgh and London.

“If sitting peacefully with a cardboard sign makes me a terrorist, then I hope my great-grandchildren will be as proud of me as relatives of the suffragettes are today,” she said.

Prisoners on hunger strike

According to Defend Our Juries, twenty-eight prisoners linked to Palestine Action are being held in UK prisons without trial—most under extended custody periods after prosecutors alleged a “terrorist connection”.

Six prisoners have joined a rolling hunger strike that began on November 2, demanding bail, access to legal documents, and the lifting of the ban. Supporters say more detainees are expected to join in the coming weeks.

The hunger strike comes as part of growing unrest within the campaign. Defend Our Juries claims more than 2,000 people have been arrested under terrorism legislation since the movement began, with around 170 charged with section 13 offences.

UN criticism

The UN has issued repeated criticisms of the UK government’s proscription of Palestine Action, calling it “unjustified and unnecessary”.
Legal observers, including former intelligence officials, have warned that the use of terrorism laws against peaceful protesters risks undermining public trust and inflaming community tensions.