Women from the Cotswolds hit by changes to the state pension age interrupted MPs with a protest during the reading of the budget in Parliament last week.

Television cameras captured the women shouting from the public gallery, holding up banners as MPs gathered to hear Monday's Budget statement.

The WASPI group, which stands for Women Against State Pension Inequality, is part of a national movement that supports the equalisation of the pension age for men and women, but claims that the implementation of the changes has 'robbed women on their pensions'.

 

Group members are calling for a ‘bridging’ income until the new State Pension Age, for the women who have not had time to make alternative plans.

"There are women who have been told with no notice, at the age of 60, that they will need to carry on working for another five years," Maud Lomberg from the Cirencester WASPI branch said.

"Now those women have lost up to £51,000, they've been robbed of their pensions, and they're being forced to go to food banks and take zero hour contracts - sometimes while looking after elderly relatives and grandchildren."

Frustrated by the lack of response from politicians to the changes, the women felt that they had no alternative but to make their voices heard.

 

The women had been given tickets to watch the Budget in the public gallery by their respective MPs.

As Chancellor Philip Hammond wrapped up delivering his Budget they donned WASPI sashes they had hidden in their underwear and began chanting 'Shame on you'.

"They're not listening, we had to go, we had to be there.

"We were polite and listened to the Budget being read, but then we made ourselves heard," Maud continued.

During their protest Labour and SNP MPs stood and gave them a round of applause.

 

Maud explained that the WASPI women, many of whom had never attended a protest or rally before, had been forced to become politically active.

"We never would have believed we would be doing this, but we have no choice," the Cotswolds WASPI member explained.

"Monday was the turning point, we will not be silenced, we will not be forgotten."

To learn more visit their facebook page facebook.com/WaspiCampaign/