After years of campaigning, I was delighted that this Labour government took the first opportunity at the budget to correct the historic injustice of the Mineworkers Pension Scheme (MPS).

This landmark decision has delivered a 32% increase in pensions for former miners and widows across the country by transferring the £1.5 billion investment reserve fund back to the MPS. Here in East Durham, this has directly benefitted nearly 4,000 pensioners who worked tirelessly underground.

Today at Prime Minister’s Questions, I thanked the Prime Minister for swiftly delivering on this crucial manifesto promise. However, I also urged him to ensure justice for members of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS).

In my constituency alone, there are 738 BCSSS members, and 40,000 more across the UK, who deserve to see a hard-earned boost in their pensions, and justice for the £3.2billion previous governments have taken out of the scheme since privatisation in 1994.