The ‘1950s Women of Wales’ campaign made up of ladies from across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion has welcomed continued attention to the issue in the Senedd by Delyth Jewell SM, Deputy Leader of Plaid Cymru, for ensuring that the voices of women born in the 1950s remain on the political agenda.

Speaking about the continued state pension campaign, Jackie Gilderdale, organiser of the 1950s Women of Wales & Beyond group, stated: “As Hon Jocelynne Scutt AO has warned, any decision taken without properly considering wider representations exposes the Secretary of State, Pat McFadden MP, to Judicial Review. Yet #50sWomen are clear - they do not want another court battle. They seek political resolution, not legal delay.

“The Counsel General’s response to Delyth was alarming. It showed the Counsel General does not understand this campaign, does not understand the legal responsibilities of her own office; and does not even recognise that the largest 1950s women’s campaign group in Wales is not WASPI. We have contacted the newly formed WASPI board to open dialogue with us, but have been ignored.

“By simply quoting Pat McFadden and repeating his position from 3rd December, Counsel General reinforced a narrative based on so-called ‘new evidence’ that was not new at all. It was presented by the original co founders of WASPI nearly a decade ago and held with Bindmans lawyers and MPs. That is not leadership, it is deflection.

“Pat McFadden must now reverse his decision and reopen dialogue with the 1950s Women of Wales & Beyond. His refusal to engage is not neutral; it is actively discriminatory. It silences the women who were harmed and denies them a seat at the table.”

Jackie emphasised that this campaign is not about a single limited company. It is not a brand. It is hundreds of thousands of real women across Wales and the UK.

“The #50sWomen movement is not a corporate entity or a brand; it is millions of real women whose lives and livelihoods were impacted by state maladministration and proven discrimination,” she continued.

“You do not deliver justice by listening to one limited company and shutting out everyone else. All evidence must be examined. All affected women must be heard. Anything less is exclusion and it amounts to further discrimination.

“I’ve been involved with this campaign from the start - 11 years, and have witnessed a political takeover. Our history was rewritten, our losses minimised, and our demand for justice reduced to damage control.

“Women who lost on average £50,000 are being steered towards a means-tested £1,000–£2,995 payment for the few, or even nothing at all; a settlement designed to limit government liability and not deliver justice. Silencing dissent is not unity; it is political containment, and we will not be complicit in that.”

A new petition calling for structured mediation between government and all representative groups has been launched and has reached over 34,000 signatures in weeks.

“Signing and sharing this petition is urgent and essential to ensure that political, not legal, resolution is achieved,” added Jackie.

“Over 400,000 women have already died during the course of this campaign. Delay in political resolution risks turning justice denied into justice impossible.”