Eastleigh MP David Chidgey has joined forces with Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy and writer Claire Rayner to launch a major new campaign to demand pension justice for women.

Currently, pensioner poverty rates are highest among women. Almost three-quarters of pensioners on income support are women and elderly widows are especially poor.

Meanwhile Mr Chidgey says many women in their 40s and 50s are set to receive poor state pensions because they paid National Insurance at the special rate for married women.

"The pattern for too many women is poorly- paid work followed by poorly-paid retirement. Once again, the government has promised much, but delivered little.

"The Labour Party's vision for older people is forcing more than half of Britain's pensioners into an undignified future of mass means-testing," claimed the Eastleigh MP.

He added: "Women in their 20s and 30s could face similar patterns of poverty.

"Government plans to increase the role of private provision and cut back on universal state pensions could leave many women vulnerable."

He said the Liberal Democrats were calling for a substantial increase in the basic state pension, particularly for older pensioners.

He added that he was joining the call for the government to write to all women in their 40s and 50s who had ever paid the married woman's "stamp" to warn them that their pension rights might be in jeopardy.

"There must be a major government inquiry into the future pension prospects of today's working women, with a promise of action to guarantee that the next generation of women pensioners do not miss out."