THE PRIME Minister has agreed to arrange a top level meeting for a war widow from Otley and her MP.

David Cameron gave the assurance in Parliament to MP Greg Mulholland (Lib Dem, Leeds North West) during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, May 4.

Mr Mulholland, who is campaigning to secure Justice for War Widows* with the Wharfedale & Aireborough Observer, raised the case of Otley resident Susan Rimmer with the PM.

Mrs Rimmer lost her first husband to a terrorist bomb in Northern Ireland in 1972, when she was just 19 and pregnant - but her War Widow's Pension was stopped when she remarried.

She is one of some 250 women in a who have lost their pensions because they married again between 1973 and 2005.

Mr Mulholland told the House of Commons that this was a "disgraceful way to treat those who have lost loved ones serving our country", and requested a meeting.

Mr Cameron responded: "I'll make sure that Susan Rimmer gets the meeting and attention she deserves."

He added: "We'll continue to look at this issue, but at the moment we are of the view, of the longstanding policy of successive governments, that we shouldn't make these changes and apply them retrospectively."

Speaking aftewards, Mr Mulholland said: "I was pleased to raise Susan's case and this important campaign with the Prime Minister, and am delighted to have secured a meeting to discuss this.

"It is a national disgrace that there are some people who lost loved ones serving their country who receive not a penny from the Government to compensate them for their huge loss.

"The coalition Government made welcome changes which meant war widows and widowers could marry again and not lose their support, but Susan is part of a group who get nothing at all, which is clear discrimination as well as injustice.

"Absurdly Susan has been told, in writing by Ministers, that she can only get compensation reinstated if she divorces her second husband, but can keep it if she then marries him again straight afterwards!

"This is clearly ludicrous but also offensive to her current marriage, and a slap in the face of people who have gone through the heartbreak of a spouse serving their country.

"We will not stop campaigning until we right this wrong and get justice for all war widows, including Susan - and I thank the Wharfedale & Airedale Observer for taking up this campaign.

"I look forward to going to Whitehall with Susan and the paper to make the case for justice for all war widows."

*The campaign's petition can be found at change.org/p/ministry-of-defence-justice-for-war-widows .