Andy Burnham has suggested he would support more than 3.5m women who are seeking compensation, hinting at a billions of pounds spending commitment if he enters Downing Street.

The Makerfield by-election candidate has long been an outspoken supporter for the so-called Waspi women, a cohort born in the 1950s who claim they lost thousands of pounds after failing to be properly informed of the changes to the state pension age.

Speaking at a hustings event on Wednesday, Burham said he felt “uncomfortable” at politicians supporting a cause but failing to “do anything” upon entering government.

He said: “I’ll stick by the Waspi women because they deserve some recompense for the unfairness.”

Starmer’s government has refused to pay compensation over fears the bill could reach up to £10.5bn, with a 2024 report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman calling for a payment between £1,000 and £2,950 for every person affected.

This has been repeatedly rejected by the government, with the most recent refusal being this week.

The Waspi campaign

The Waspi campaign claims 3.8m women born between 1950 and 1960 were not adequately made aware of the change in the state pension age from 60 to 65.

The change was first announced in 1995 under the then Conservative government, who introduced a timetable to equalise the age at which men and women receive the state pension, saying it would gradually be increased between 2010 and 2020.

But the Coalition government decided to accelerate the process in 2011, announcing the qualifying age for women would rise to 65 in 2018. It rose to 66 for both men and women in 2020.

The Waspi campaigners argue the lack of clear communication threw their retirement plans into turmoil, with many ultimately forced to continue working past the retirement age or end up with significantly less income than originally anticipated.

‘Unseating Labour’ and the battle for No 10

The Waspi campaign group vowed to “unseat” Labour at the next general election unless it paid out £10bn in compensation.

Following last month’s election results, Angela Madden, chairman of the group, said the government now had a “clear choice” of listening to Waspi women and compensate them fairly “or face the consequence at the next general election”.

In 2022, Starmer signed a pledge calling for women to receive “fair and fast” compensation but five months after entering power, he deemed the group’s demands unaffordable.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also promised a £58bn compensation scheme prior to the 2019 election.

Burnham’s pledge to stick by the Waspi women comes a week before the Makerfield by-election, with the Labour candidate hoping to win in order to launch his campaign for Downing Street.

However Starmer has told colleagues he is determined to fight any leadership contest.