The British Ministry of Defence has announced that unmarried partners (both heterosexual and same sex) of any British service personnel killed in the war against Iraq will receive pension payments. The pension will be awarded when there is proof of a substantial relationship, which will be judged by a wide range of criteria, including children and financial interdependence. The announcement comes on the heels of a report which shows that number of marriages in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level in more than 100 years.
See "Bereaved partners to get MoD pension", BBC News Online, March 19, 2003