WEST Devon widowers who are fighting for equal rights in a long-running court battle are facing another hurdle in their battle to protect their human rights.

The House of Lords has just granted the Government leave to appeal against a Court of Appeal decision to uphold the widowers? claims for bereavement benefit. The appeal is likely to be heard by the end of the year.

Geoffrey Cox QC, who is also West Devon and Torridge Conservative spokesman, is representing hundreds of widowers from the West Country who are fighting for equality in benefits payments.

Mr Cox said: ?This has been a long fight. These are the forgotten widowers. No husband widowed before April 9 2001 is entitled to any bereavement benefit whatsoever after his wife died, even though she may have worked all her life, paid national insurance and contributed to the major share of the household income.

?Although, in response to pressure, the Government changed the law to allow a reduced allowance to widowers who were widowed after that date, it leaves many thousands of others, including widowers in West Devon, without any help at all.?

The widowers are fighting to establish that they have been treated unfairly by the Government and that their human rights had been violated.

The widowers bringing the action against the government last year scored a significant victory in the High Court and the Court of Appeal, winning declarations that their rights were violated and an order that compensation should be paid.