Wednesday, January 22, 2003
British soldiers' domestic partners to get widow’s pension
A story released today by the Guardian reports that the British government issued a statement saying that unmarried partners of British soldiers killed in action are to be paid the equivalent of a widow's pension.
The defense ministry is drawing up an informal scheme to give unmarried soldiers serving in the Gulf the same pension rights as their married colleagues.
In response to a cross-party campaign, the defense secretary, Geoff Hoon, is assessing whether to formalize the change.
The move came as a former Downing Street aide launched a cross-party campaign to change the law to equalize the pensions rights of all public sector workers.
James Purnell, Labour MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, won the support of the former shadow cabinet minister, John Bercow, for a backbench bill to change the law.
His measure is unlikely to be passed into law. But the Ministry of Defense's response, which can introduce pension changes without legislation, shows the government is sympathetic
