When Keir Starmer resigns, sooner rather than later, he’ll be well-covered by the Ministerial pension scheme. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the civil servants that work for him.

The Civil Service Pension Scheme, which covers the vast majority of Scottish and UK civil servants – including agencies such as Social Security Scotland – is in meltdown and leaving people waiting months upon end to access payments.

Take Kay who lost her partner of more than 30 years at the age of 63. She sent off the pension paperwork – as her loved one was still working for Social Security Scotland when he died. Nine months later, she still hasn’t received a single penny.

Or take Fiona who lost her partner and the father of her children to cancer at age 43. While other pension funds paid out within weeks, she’s spent months chasing Capita, who administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme. She calls it the final "admin" task – the bureaucratic nightmare she must resolve before her family can finally grieve and move on.

Or take Alison who retired from the civil service after 30 years of loyal service. Four months later, she has no income. Her partner has been forced to postpone their own retirement just to pay the mortgage.

I know what Scotland really needs - more list MSPs at Holyrood

One of Scotland's great 80s and 90s bands play secret hometown gig - and I was there

Scottish Labour could die tomorrow - and would anyone even notice?

Kay, Fiona and Alison are not alone. They are victims of the latest pension scandal leaving families in limbo.

More than 25,000 scheme members are currently awaiting pension quotes, while thousands of retired workers have been left without their monthly income.

It is a shambles and a scandal in equal measure.

The central problem stems from the decision by the UK Tory Government in 2023 to........

© Herald Scotland