[4] Both the 1995 and 2011 changes came as a shock to many, with women discovering that they would have to wait up to six years longer for their state pension, potentially affecting their retirement plans.
[7] WASPI's online petition to Parliament received 141,000 signatures resulting in a parliamentary debate on the issue of the changes to the state pension age.
[15][16][17] Since the launch of WASPI, the issue of the state pension age has become more prominent, leading to its discussion in a number of parliamentary debates.
[18] The issue played an important part in the 2017 general election with Labour's Jeremy Corbyn raising it in a session of Prime Minister's Questions and the SNP pledging to support the women.
[19][20] However, the Conservative government rejected the calls of WASPI, arguing that they had to make the state pension more affordable for taxpayers and requiring men to work longer than women by 5–7 years was grossly unfair and potentially illegal.