Lanark and Hamilton East MP Angela Crawley has, this week, been elected vice chair of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).

Angela has been involved in the campaign for a number of months and has called on the UK government to immediately revisit the state pension inequalities for women born in the 1950s.

Angela previously spoke in a backbench business debate on the issue at the beginning of January and the motion, that called on the UK government to introduce transitional measures, received cross-party support.

The WASPI Campaign’s petition, which calls fair transitional state pension arrangements for women born in the 1950s, has attracted more than 140,000 signatures.

Commenting on her election, Angela said:

“The dedication and commitment of those involved in the Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign is second to none and I am delighted to have been elected as the vice-chair of the APPG.

“I hope my position will give me further opportunities to shed some light on the gross unfairness that successive governments have allowed to fall on these women.

“Despite cross-party support in the House of Commons for fair transitional arrangements for the women who has been so badly let down by pension reforms, the UK government has so far refused to act.

“Pensions are not a benefit, they are a contract – the UK government has broken that contract and it is vital that action is taken now to revisit the inequalities felt by women born in the 1950s.