Police widows take ‘Love or Money’ campaign to Parliament, urging end to pension injustice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Police widows take ‘Love or Money’ campaign to Parliament, urging end to pension injustice 

Widows, widowers, and surviving partners of deceased police officers will take their fight for justice to Parliament on Wednesday, 26 March. Leading the campaign is the National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPO), which is seeking to spotlight a cruel pensions injustice that forces survivors to choose between love and financial security. The campaign calls for an end to the current policy, which denies full pension entitlement to survivors who remarry or cohabit after losing a partner. 

This issue adds hurt to families that have already endured the devastation of losing a loved one in the police – including in the line of duty. Survivors are forced to make an impossible decision between love and money, stripping them of agency. The injustice goes beyond individual families. 

On the day, police widows and widowers will hold a drop-in and rally in parliament, meeting with MPs and peers across the political spectrum and asking for their support to help end their punishment.  

Actor Graham Cole OBE, known for playing PC Tony Stamp on ITV’s The Bill, will also join the delegation. An honorary member of NARPO, Cole is a passionate advocate for better treatment of the police family, both during and after service. 

Ahead of the event, NARPO Chief Executive Alan Lees said: "This is about a part of the police family that has already suffered enough. Losing a loved one is devastating, and survivors should not have to choose between financial stability and the right to rebuild their lives. 

“NARPO is calling on the Government to end this cruel punishment and make the system fair for all police survivors." 

The ‘Love or Money’ campaign demands that the Government extend the fairer pension systems already in place for police survivors in Northern Ireland and for Armed Forces personnel across the UK. The event will also provide an opportunity to hear directly from those affected and to highlight the ongoing fight for justice. 

 NOTES TO EDITORS 

Actor Graham Cole and police widows and widowers affected by this issue are available for interview. For interview requests contact laterlife@connectpa.co.uk or call Matthew Boyd on 07721 687 102. 

• Established in 1919, the National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPO) represents over 93,000 retired police officers and staff, as well as their partners, former partners, and those widowed in or after service. 

• Alongside the Civil Service Pensioners’ Alliance and the National Federation of Occupational Pensioners, NARPO is a founding partner of Later Life Ambitions, a coalition working to improve the lives of over 250,000 members, and the 11 million people in later life across the UK. 

• NARPO has long advocated for a UK-wide policy ensuring that those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse retain their full pension entitlement, regardless of the circumstances of their spouse’s death. This model is currently in place in Northern Ireland and applies to widows, widowers, and civil partners of Armed Forces personnel; a similar situation exists in Scotland. 

• In January 2023, the Court of Appeal ruled that police widows, widowers, and surviving partners must still choose between love and financial security, due to outdated rules that prevent them from marrying again without losing their pension entitlement. Despite this setback, NARPO remains determined to achieve justice for those who served our communities. 

To find out more about NARPO, visit narpo.org.