Kay Burley Grills Minister Over WASPI Women ‘Worth Less Than Train Drivers’ in Explosive Interview
Sky News presenter Kay Burley took the Government to task this morning, accusing them of treating WASPI women as “less than train drivers” following their decision not to compensate women born in the 1950s for changes to their state pensions, reported by the Independent.
In a heated exchange with Energy Consumers Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh, Burley didn’t hold back, demanding answers on why the Government was failing to fulfill promises made while in opposition. Burley challenged the minister directly: “Why can train drivers have the money but the women of a certain age can’t?”
The clash comes after train drivers in the UK secured a pay deal in September 2024, increasing their salaries by 15% over three years. Yet WASPI women, who have long campaigned for compensation over the sudden changes to their retirement age, were told they would receive nothing.
The minister admitted the decision would anger many, stating: “People are going to be angry about this.” Burley interjected sharply: “Furious, not angry.”
Fahnbulleh attempted to defend the Government, blaming years of Conservative underinvestment and tough financial constraints, saying: “The Chancellor and the Prime Minister have an absolute impossible job against the financial context that we’re operating where things are really, really tight.”
Unmoved, Burley pushed back, highlighting Labour’s broken promises: “But you promised them you were going to do this. It’s about breaking promises. Why are women of a certain age worth less than train drivers?” Fahnbulleh insisted this wasn’t the case, responding: “I don’t think anyone believes that to be the case.”
Refusing to back down, Burley repeated her point: “So why can train drivers have the money but the women of a certain age can’t?” She further pressed the minister, pointing out Labour’s own connection to the WASPI issue: “Your boss posed with these women, the Chancellor posed with these women. Her mother is a WASPI woman.”
Fahnbulleh acknowledged the difficult decisions being made but tried to defend the Government’s position: “There are 101 things I would love for us to do as a government and I’d love us to do it today… the reality of governing is it’s hard.”
However, Burley wasn’t satisfied, pressing again: “Why are women of a certain age not seen as a public spending priority?”. The minister responded: “They are,” to which Burley swiftly replied, “Clearly they’re not.”
The fiery exchange comes amid growing frustration over the Government’s handling of pension-related issues, particularly after the decision to cut winter fuel payments for up to 10 million pensioners. Burley’s relentless questioning underscored the anger felt by many WASPI women and their supporters, highlighting a major challenge for the Government moving forward.