Ros Altmann has come in for a lot of stick from the “WASPI” women campaigning for a transitional approach to the changes in the state pension age (SPA) for women, and stated on more than one occasion that nothing more could be done. But now the Pensions Minister is saying that she not only wants to help, but is in talks with her immediate boss to see what can be done to alleviate the plight of women whose SPA has been accelerated.

WASPI (The women against state pension inequality campaign) have been pressing their case for a review of the timetable to equalise SPA in line with men; interviewed on BBC Radio Four’s Moneybox, Altmann said that she is “hoping that she will be able to help, but we cannot make any promises” and was in discussions with Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Stephen Crabb to find a way forward.

This follows her outspoken comments on Ian Duncan Smith in the wake of his resignation, which indicated that he had been resistant to any compromises.

“There was no possibility of engagement on this issue before,” she told Moneybox, “even though I tried and I had some figures worked out. I am hoping we might be able to meet some of those affected, although I met many of those affected in 2011 and we did manage to help hundreds of thousands of them getting at least some reduction in the increase in their state pension age, which was a big victory at the time.”

Will the new Minister be able to remove the log jam? Watch this space!

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