Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP Mhairi Black has called for an end to the “gross pensions inequality” faced by women born in the 1950s.

Ms Black is urging the UK government to “listen to the will of the people” by helping women who have been affected by rapid increases to the state pension age.

The 1995 Pensions Act legislated to gradually bring the state pension age for women in line with that for men over two decades but the 2011 Pensions Act rapidly accelerated the original timetable.

Ms Black said that 2.6 million women across the UK who were born in the 1950s will suffer financially as a result of these changes.

“This UK government has treated the women impacted by changes to the state pension age with utter contempt,” she claimed. “Women born in the 1950s have had their retirement plans completely shattered and, as if this wasn’t bad enough, their democratic voice and the will of this parliament is being ignored by this Tory government.

“Women across the country are struggling to make ends meet because they have been denied the pension they are due.”

However, a spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions said there are no plans to change the transitional arrangements already in place.

She added: “The decision to equalise the state pension age between men and women was made over 20 years ago and achieves a long-overdue move towards gender equality.

“Women retiring today can still expect to receive the state pension for 26 years on average – several years longer than men.”