Equal rights for gay pensioners

The legal campaigning group Liberty is backing a gay couple in their attempt to end discrimination in the NHS pension scheme.

Two retired nurses have been living together for 40 years but because of the rules of the NHS pension scheme they cannot claim any of the other's pension entitlement should one of them die. Liberty is arguing that they are being denied their right to peaceful enjoyment of possessions under article one of the Human Rights Act.

Unions have been pushing for a change in the NHS scheme for some time along with several other major public service schemes which all discriminate against same-sex couples.