A Hampshire MP has branded a government decision not to compensate women affected by state pension age changes as "disgusting".

Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) has been campaigning for payouts as they believe that women born in the 1950s were not properly made aware of a rise in state pension age.

Nine months ago, a parliamentary ombudsman recommended that those affected should be paid between £1,000 and £2,950 compensation.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall apologised for a 28-month delay in sending letters on the issue out.

READ MORE: Hampshire women and MPs call for compensation in Parliament protest

But today, Ms Kendall said that the government does not believe paying a flat rate to women at a cost of up to £10.5 billion would be a fair or proportionate use of taxpayers’ money.

Liz Jarvis, MP for Eastleigh, said she found the situation ‘absurd’ and was left confused by the decision.

Ms Jarvis said: “This is a disgraceful response from the Government to the PHSO report on communication of Women’s State Pension age - and it beggars belief that this statement has been made just before Christmas.

“The Ombudsman was clear that there had been maladministration and it is astonishing that the Government is denying thousands of women and their families in my constituency and across the country the compensation they deserve.

“It is absurd for the Secretary of State to suggest the affected women suffered no direct financial loss because of the maladministration when we know that there are women who were impacted who are using food banks and struggling to keep a roof over their heads.

“My Lib Dem MP colleagues and I will keep standing up for 1950s women who have now been failed by successive governments. They deserve so much better.”

READ MORE: Waspi women criticise ‘bizarre and unjustified’ ruling out of compensation

The Eastleigh MP previously attended a protest outside Parliament with Solent WASPI members and New Forest East MP Sir Julian Lewis in November.

The chairwoman of WASPI Angela Madden agreed with Ms Jarvis, calling the decision "bizarre and totally unjustified".

She said: “It feels like a decision that would make the likes of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump blush.

“This is a bizarre and totally unjustified move which will leave everyone asking what the point of an ombudsman is if ministers can simply ignore their decisions.”