A pensions win for unmarried couples

Millions of unmarried couples could be in line for improved pension rights. David Prosser reports.

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A landmark victory for unmarried couples
(Image credit: Nick David)

Millions of unmarried couples could be in line for improved pension rights following a landmark Supreme Court ruling that Denise Brewster, a lifeguard from Coleraine in Northern Ireland, should benefit from the pension contributions made by her partner before his death. Judges ruled that Brewster had been illegally discriminated against when Northern Ireland's local government pension scheme decided that she was not entitled to a survivor's pension following the death of her partner, Lenny McMullan, in 2009.

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David Prosser
Business Columnist

David Prosser is a regular MoneyWeek columnist, writing on small business and entrepreneurship, as well as pensions and other forms of tax-efficient savings and investments. David has been a financial journalist for almost 30 years, specialising initially in personal finance, and then in broader business coverage. He has worked for national newspaper groups including The Financial Times, The Guardian and Observer, Express Newspapers and, most recently, The Independent, where he served for more than three years as business editor.