WASPI mentioned in the Income Tax (Charge) debate – 1 December 2025

2nd December 2025

Graham Leadbitter MP manages to get a WASPI mention in a debate on Income Tax (Charge). Scott Arthur MP furthers the debate by asking how compensation could be paid for, Graham Leadbitter MP makes a number of suggestions.

Graham Leadbitter Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Transport), Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Science, Innovation and Technology), Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Energy Security and Net Zero)

On both those points, I absolutely do. The previous Government introduced the climate change targets, and they have now withdrawn from those. That is the last thing that the energy sector needs; we need investment in renewables.

On the jobs and skills side of things, there is investment from both the UK Government and the Scottish Government. I welcome their partnership on that, but compared with the impact of the energy profits levy, it is frankly small beer. It will not have an impact unless there is an underpinning fiscal regime that actually supports those jobs until we have a renewables sector ready to take those jobs on. That is simply not there at the moment, and unless the fiscal regime changes substantially, those jobs will not be there and people will simply be on the scrapheap.

The worst cost of living crisis for any family is when a family member loses their job. Some 1,000 jobs are going every single month in the energy sector, and the transition plan—if the Government actually have one—is doing little to nothing to support those workers, their families, or the communities they live in. The Government must take urgent action on the EPL, or we will have another industrial jobs disaster, such as Ravenscraig, that will reverberate in communities for generations.

Let me turn to the plight of WASPI women, who continue tirelessly to campaign against the wrong done to them. A year ago, almost to the day, I asked the Prime Minister when they would be compensated—he flannelled his answer and refused to commit. In the space of that year, around 3,500 WASPI women have died without compensation. The Chancellor made no mention of WASPI women in the Budget statement, despite the Government having to rethink things following recent court proceedings. Action must be taken urgently to give compensation to WASPI women, who have been left without the pensions they deserve because successive Governments communicated with them so badly.

• (Citation: HC Deb, 1 December 2025, c735)

Scott Arthur Labour, Edinburgh South West

I think there is support for this issue across the House. I do not know any MP who does not think that the WASPI women should not be compensated, because their fight is a just fight, but there is uncertainty about how it would be funded. How would the hon. Gentleman fund it?

• (Citation: HC Deb, 1 December 2025, c736)

Graham Leadbitter Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Transport), Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Science, Innovation and Technology), Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Energy Security and Net Zero)

We have made the point repeatedly that there can be additional funding from banks, which I know hon. Members from the Liberal Democrats agree with, and funding could certainly be made available through a wealth tax, which we have supported for a long time.

(Citation: HC Deb, 1 December 2025, c736)