The Papers: Women 'owed' payouts from £35bn 'Waspi sting'

By BBC News

Staff

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The government is in “crisis” over a bill which could top £35bn for compensation for women born in the 1950s, the Metro reports. A landmark report has called for women impacted by pension changes to receive payments and follows a campaign by so-called Waspi women – named after the group Women Against State Pension Inequality. It's a "£35bn Waspi sting", says the Metro's headline.

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The Mirror says the Waspi women should be paid “what they are owed”. Elsewhere, the paper has a story about lions being transferred from war-torn Donetsk in eastern Ukraine to Doncaster.

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The Daily Express says "pay up" – the Waspi women are “owed pension payouts”. Women born in the 1950s are owed compensation “as a matter of urgency,” the paper says.

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The Daily Mail says Waspi women have been “betrayed” by ministers not committing to recommended compensation payments of up to £2,950. Meanwhile, the paper also says there is “fury” at a redesigned Cross of St George on the new England football kit.

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The i says Waspi women expect Labour to pay compensation if the party wins power. Both the Tories and Labour are accused of remaining silent on the issue, the paper says.

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The Daily Telegraph’s main story is about how the cost of servicing sickness benefits could rise by a third by the end of the decade, from about £65bn this year to more than £90bn. The paper also reports on Britain warning Israel that it will cut off arms supplies unless it lets aid into Gaza.

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Health is also the main story on the Times, which says a million more people than three years ago say they are struggling to function due to mental ill health. Its main picture is of Queen Camilla during a visit to Belfast.

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The Guardian leads on the US drafting a new UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Gaza. The move could indicate the Biden administration moving away from linking a ceasefire to a hostage deal, the paper reports.

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On the Sun's front page is Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's criticism of the new England kit – which features an "update" of the St George's Cross branded "woke" by the paper. He made the comments on the Sun's new online politics programme.

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The Financial Times leads on the US antitrust case against Apple. The Department of Justice has accused the company of limiting competition and consumer choice, in what the papers calls the latest attack on Big Tech from Joe Biden’s administration.

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And the Daily Star reports on the prospect of Hyde Park becoming one of the largest elephant reserves in the world. A Botswana politician has threatened to send 10,000 animals to London while criticising the UK's anti-poaching stance, according to the Star.

"Pay up" says the front page of the Daily Express after an ombudsman's report recommended compensation for women born in the 1950s who were not informed properly about changes to the state pension age.

There is a similar call from the Daily Mirror, with the headline "pay them what they are owed". The i newspaper says the Conservatives and Labour have been criticised for not clearly setting out how they would help.

The Daily Mail has spoken to some of those affected who call the ombudsman's verdict a "moral victory".

However, others are disappointed the proposed compensation – between £1,000 and just under £3,000 – falls short of what campaigners had been hoping for. In a reference to the name of the group representing them – Waspi – the paper says the women are "still feeling the sting".

With the Rwanda Bill due to return to the Commons after Easter, the Times reports the Home Office has still not found an airline to operate deportation flights to the east African country.

Sources say officials are looking at "multiple options" – including chartering a plane from a private contractor. The paper adds the Ministry of Defence is understood to be "resisting attempts to use RAF aircraft", as they are in high demand and used for other purposes. A government spokesman is quoted as saying "robust plans are in place for future flights".

The front page of the Daily Telegraph highlights official forecasts which suggest the cost of sickness benefits will rise by more than a third by the end of the decade. The paper says the Office for Budget Responsibility expects spending on health and disability benefits to rise from around £65bn this year to £90bn in 2028-29.

According to the Guardian, a group of more than 60 lawyers from across England and Wales have called on all judges who are members of the men-only Garrick Club to resign from it immediately.

They say they are concerned by recent reporting by the paper which says dozens of senior figures in the judiciary are members of the club. The group claims membership is "incompatible with the core principles of justice, equality and fairness".

The Sun reports Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has joined what it calls the "revolt" against the new England football shirt. As part of the new Nike design, the St George's Cross on the back of the collar now features blue and purple horizontal stripes.

The company has called it a "playful update". Sir Keir told the Sun that Nike should change the colour back to the traditional red, saying the flag in its original form is "unifying".