Denying unmarried mother widow's allowance ruled illegal

Denying the mother of four children a widowed parent’s allowance is illegal, the supreme court has ruled, in a decision that significantly extends the rights of unmarried couples.The judgment follows a hearing earlier this year in Belfast where the court was told that withholding the allowance from Siobhan McLaughlin amounted to discrimination against all children born out of wedlock.The special needs classroom assistant from Armoy in County Antrim has four children: Rebecca, 15, Billy, 16