The High Court is to hear the case for a judicial review into the government’s mishandling of the raising of the pension age for 50s women on November 30.
The court granted a two hour hearing today.This means that Michael Mansfield and his team will argue the merits of the case for a judicial review.
The Department of Work and Pensions will oppose any judicial review. The judge will decide whether it can go ahead.
The granting of a two hour hearing is significant in the sense that the court has decided that the merits of both sides of the argument must be examined thoroughly. Previously the court had thought that 30 minutes was enough to hear the arguments – suggesting that it could be turned down without much debate.
The announcement is a victory for the lawyers arguing the case and for BackTo60 in taking such an uncompromising stance. The government has so far refused to budge an inch in recognising the grievances of the 3.8 million women who have lost out – some of them living in dire poverty as a result.
The case will be backed up by the paper from Jackie Jones, a law professor at the University of the West England She has produced the report, which shows that this group of women have suffered discrimination contrary to an international convention signed by successive UK governments. It is not a legal document but it is an expert opinion.